To Buy or to Dine? That is the Question

I am a huge fan of bazaars and Sunday markets. Nothing equals the excitement of turning the next corner of stalls to find items which you don’t normally find in regular markets or grocery stores.

Produce sold in Sunday markets and bazaars could be a bit more expensive, but I take comfort in knowing that I am getting the best quality. In short, I get my money’s worth.

One Sunday market I love to frequent is the one at the Lung Center parking area. For one, it’s very near my place. And so, whenever my schedule permits, I go there, sometimes just for the heck of it.

My friend Lori and I love to have breakfast there. We usually eat hot puto bumbong and bibingka from our suki. Since they don’t serve coffee, I usually brew a couple of cups and bring it with me so Lori and I can share.

After having breakfast, we start making the rounds. She’d get fresh seafood and organic veggies and fresh fruits, while I would buy cooked food. Among my favorites are the Tuna Sisig, Ampalaya with Fresh Alamang, Sinaing na Tulingan or Tawilis, and the Embutidong Batangas (this is basically your regular embutido, except that instead of wrapping in foil, the embutido is wrapped in banana leaves and deep fried, not steamed).

I also get my pure cocoa tablets (tablea), as well as my sukang kaong from my kabayan Batangueños. It is also where I find daing na biya without having to travel to Calamba or Los Baños, Laguna and kesong puti without going to Bulacan, or longganisang Lucban sans the trip to Quezon.

The Sunday market is truly a mecca for shoppers and diners alike. Once, I took our visitors from Iligan City to the Lung Center Sunday market to have breakfast. It was a new experience for them, and one of them began pondering whether a similar activity would be as popular in their city.

So kudos to the organizers of this Sunday market, and of the many others around the metro. Although I am #200 in the waiting list of possible concessionaires, I have not lost hope. I will continue to come back again and again. And hopefully, one day, you will find me selling my stuff there, too.

If you cannot travel to the Lung Center to shop, let me at least share a recipe of the Sinaing na Tulingan. Being a Batangueña myself, I think I have in me the inherent ability to make this dish based on taste alone.

Sinaing na Tulingan or Tambakol

• Pork fat, cut into 1 1/2” cubes (the more, the merrier!)
• 1 kilo Tambakol (yellow-finned tuna) or tulingan, cleaned thoroughly and salted
• A handful of dried kamias (we Batangueños are very fond of this. To make, just put some kamias fruits on a bilao and sun-dry until wrinkled and dark brown in color.)
• A head of garlic, crushed (do not discard skin)
• Enough water to cover fish
• Salt and pepper

Line the bottom of an earthen pot (palayok) with banana leaves. (Note: it is not advisable to cook this in a metal pan since acid corrodes metal.) Arrange pork fat at the bottom of the earthen pot. Add the garlic and half of the dried kamias. Arrange fish in neat rows, one row on top of another. Scatter the remaining kamias around the fish and pour in enough water to cover the top layer of fish. Add about a tablespoon of salt and a dash or two of pepper. (You can add more if you wish later on.)

Cover the pot and cook over low fire (wood or charcoal is best, but your old two-burner will also do the job). Continue boiling until water has been reduced to about 1/3. Taste the patis (the liquid from the sinaing) from time to time and adjust saltiness until you get the desired taste. If you wish to soften the bones (like sardines), it would be better to use charcoal in cooking and boil the fish from morning till night. Just add 1 cup water from time to time so as not to scorch the bottom.

Goes well with tomato-onion salad.

Note: If you ever get tired of eating this dish every day, just drain and pan fry over medium heat. Or buy some kakang gata and add to the patis. Boil a little and there you go… instant guinatang tulingan!