Fish in the can

CEBU, Philippines — The monsoon brings two problems for the homemaker – frequent rains that make it difficult to dry the laundry, and scarcity of fish that makes planning the family meals a problem. The laundry issue can be resolved with the new anti-bacterial fabric conditioners now available, so that clothes doesn’t smell foul even if it takes days to dry. But fishermen still won’t go out to sea in rainy weather for fear of the cold and the turbulent waves.

It’s not all bad things though that the rainy days bring. Rain waters the crop fields; runoff rainwater enlivens the drying rivers. And, well, the rainy season also stimulates the creativity of the house cooks.

For example, it comes to mind that it’s only fresh fish that becomes scarce during the rainy days. For the most part, there is still ample supply of fish in other forms than fresh – dried fish, canned fish, and other preserved fish. Canned fish, in particular, can be easily and quickly made into a delicious hot soup, fit for a rainy day.

The website https://ricendine.com shares a soup recipe that takes only ten minutes or less to prepare. The main ingredients are canned sardines and “misua,” a type of fine rice noodles that’s widely available in supermarkets and sarisari stores. The resulting dish is really delicious, without being expensive.

“Ginisang Misua at Sardinas” is also recommended for those who are just starting out on their cooking. The steps are pretty straightforward and unintimidating.

Ginisang Misua at Sardinas

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

½ medium bulb onion, peeled and chopped

1 can (5.5oz) tomato-based sardines

2 oz misua noodles

cooking oil

fish sauce or salt

pepper

Procedure:

• In a pot over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic.

• Pour the sauce of the sardines in the pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to boil.

• Add the misua noodles in the pot. Stir occasionally for 5 minutes or until the noodles soften.

• Put the remaining sardines from the can. Season with fish sauce or salt, and pepper.

Serve warm and enjoy!