Sinagsagan

Sinagsagan

(Traditional Culinary Practices)

"Sinagsagan" is a Pangasinan word that means "flavored with typically a palmful of bagoong by straining bagoong monamon (anchovy) into a pot using the boiling broth one is cooking, to extract the flesh of the fish and get rid of the fish bones." The cooking method is also used to refer to any simple dish flavored this way.

In this video, one can see how a typical sinagsagan dish is made. A few cups of water with crushed ginger -- always with crushed ginger as a foil to fishiness and for a touch of spice -- is brought to a boil together with a pre-fried fish, in this case tilapia, but fried bangus may also be used. A few spoonfuls of bagoong monamon are directly added next, because the cook used a bagoong brand that has already pre-strained the whole anchovies. This 'umami bomb' spells the big difference to an otherwise unprepossessing fish-and-vegetable soup.

After the broth boils, a few select vegetables are added in, in this case agayep (sitaw or stringbeans) and gabey or parlang (winged beans). A few minutes more and the sliced green papaya are added.

Other vegetable combinations may be tried, but be aware that not all combinations work together quite as well as this.

The fried tilapia, now softened but remains whole, is fished out from the pile and brought to the top until the brothy fish-and-vegetable dish is thoroughly cooked.

Salt may be added to taste.

To the uninitiated, the subtle savory-salty flavor profile may take time getting used to. The resulting look may also be perceived by outsiders as having zero desire to tempt the palate.

But locals swear by decidedly uncomplicated dishes like this for the satisfaction they bring in ordinary days. These are humble yet tasty dishes that have nourished locals from day to day for generations.