Spending the cyclic lifestyle
Posted on 02. Sep, 2007 by dimaks in Life
This week, days have been gloomy all along. There were some raindrops. Summer is saying goodbye and cold winds have started to swipe by the neighborhoods of Tsukuba. Things have passed and new ones will come, at least for sometime, and then leave. September marks the start of a new semester in Tsukuba University — students will again crowd the streets on their bicycles, rushing to their classes, to the cafeterias for a meal or perhaps, catching an appointment time with their professors. To whatever reasons they may hold, things are cyclic and repetitive.
One thing that keeps me going with the chores of spending this “cyclic lifestyle” in Japan is coming up with a dish that can somehow give me a self treat, at least for a day or two. This time was with “saba“, the Japanese term for mackerel, in thick tomato sauce, stuffed with garlic, bell peppers, black pepper powder and mushrooms. I finally was able to use the cans of Italian tomato sauce I bought from Yamaya few weeks ago. They have been sitting in my kitchen shelves, untouched. The dish reminds me of fish sardines — the indispensable component of every Filipino’s meal.
The recipe is quiet simple and straightforward. I will try my best to be like a real chef (a wannabe actually) writing his one of a kind recipe, ok? So here we go.
- First, heat a pan in medium flame, then pour about 3 tbsp of oil (I used olive).
- Put thinly sliced garlics in the pan, saute until it turns a little bit brown, then add green bell peppers. Mix well.
- Add the cut mushrooms, simmer for at least 2 minutes. Then add the saba (mackerel) fish. Mix gently to keep the fish meat intact.
- Add tomato sauce, mix gently then simmer. Add black pepper powder and salt, depending on your preference.
- Simmer until the tomato sauce thickens.
- And you’re done! Very good as rice topping
Here is how it looks like without the rice. Oops, the fish is gone. This shot was taken after my sumptuous meal, obviously
Itadakimasu!!!
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While writing: Outlandish – Any Given Time
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Part-time blogger dimaks is involved in transport planning and research and is into Internet technology, PC games, digital photography, motorcycling and martial arts.. 
Richmond
Sep 2nd, 2007
I love ginataang mackerel. whenever my uncle visits us, he always have 6 to ten huge “saba” with him.
herb
Sep 3rd, 2007
mmm… di man lang namigay! hehehe
K
Sep 3rd, 2007
If I wanna cook something like that, I’d only eat the fish and leave tomatoes (or tomatos) sauce on the side. There’s something “squishiness” feeling of tasting tomatoes (ok, tomatos) sauce in my food.
Kala ko Spag!
raquel
Sep 3rd, 2007
that was quick and easy!
you made my mouth water for SARDINAS! i really miss it!
tina
Sep 3rd, 2007
awww.. im suddenly hungryy/./// *growls*
verns
Sep 3rd, 2007
tama ba naman na maglagay ng picture eh wala namang laman na natira???? hahaha you’re a funny guy Dimaks.
Anyway weird because last weekend I was doing a lot of cooking too and I was actually thinking of blogging about it but decided not too hehe
you know what? I think what you suggested is a good one. Cooking is therapeutic and preparing something new breaks the monotony
Cheers! and keep your spirit up for the gloomy days yet to come…I’m also saying that to myself bro
Wil
Sep 3rd, 2007
how long do you cook the mackerel? 20-30 minutes? I like trying out new recipes so I might try this one.
this dish is sort of like apritada.
dimaks
Sep 3rd, 2007
~Richmond
I will be doing that next time. The only thing is, only coconut milk in cans are available here. Iba pa rin ang fresh.
~herb
try mo na lang lutuin, malapit ka naman sa kasumi or marumo supermarket e, hehe.
~K
in that case, you might want to make the tomato on the side more savory. Make it a mexican sauce – mildly toast 3-4 tomatoes and 3-4 chilis (dried is preferred) then blend together with garlic and salt. i guarantee you.
~raquel
anong gusto mo, youngs town o ligo?
~tina
masarap siguro using tuna
~verns
pang-inggit lang yun vers. hmm, in a sense it is therapeutic. why not try blogging your cooking experiments too
~Wil
within that range Wil. speaking of apritada, might as well add some carrots
badoodles
Sep 3rd, 2007
sarap sabayan yan ng kanin o kaya pulutan na lang. wuhoo, kakagutom pare.
SexyMom
Sep 4th, 2007
i’m glad you still find time to do these “therapeutic” things. as for me, i have never ventured into cooking. some more prodding from blogger friends, who knows, i might, and i could (am a kapampangan you know)
annamanila
Sep 7th, 2007
Yum yum! Nowadays fish and seafoods (shrimps — especially shrimps) are my yum yum fare. And I agree that cooking is therapeutic (but not the cleaning up after), gratification is almost instant, plus you can take a picture of the finished product (eh semi finished na nga yata, sabi nga ni Verna) plus you can blog about it.
Winter pala dyan … maybe it accounts for the down mood?
Zaty
Nov 22nd, 2007
hmmm seems simple to make! altho im not a fan of mackerel, i could try with sardines someday. =D
thx for the idea~ ^_^
dimaks
Nov 22nd, 2007
zaty,
i meant the fresh one. well yeah, its just easy to make, try it someday.
you might be thinking of mackerels we get from canned goods