New hito recipe

During our childhood in Biñan, hito, either fried, grilled or made into adobo, was a constant on our table.

That fish hito, or catfish, so called due to its black skin and whiskers, is a favorite of the family. During our childhood in Biñan, hito, either fried, grilled or made into adobo, was a constant on our table. Habitues at  Milky Way restaurant would always order the specialty of the house – crispy fried jumbo hito with a sweetish dip. However, the last time we dined there, we were served two medium-sized hito instead of the usual jumbo. Hopefully, the fish is not going extinct.

Recently we bought fresh hito from a supermarket. Our new cook, Cheche, a young lady who turns 30 next month, surprised us with hito served as ginataan (with coconut cream). She sautéd garlic, tomatoes and onions in little oil, placed the fish which has been sliced to serving pieces, seasoned with salt and poured coconut cream on it, allowed it to simmer for a while and then she added pechay. It was a new but delicious dish. Note that hito has rather slimy skin. To take away the slime, rub it with vinegar and salt – something we learned from her. We used to simply scrub it off with a dull knife.

Now we give credit to some homemakers who make their free time profitable. Where we are based, we recently found some women, whose children have grown to schooling age, who have gone into baking, supplying residents with delectable sweets and breads. One of them is a lady who improved on an old favorite, taisan. Originally, this is a soft sweet loaf. What she did was to produce them in small pieces and put each in a cup for easy handling. Her atelier is called Purple Spatula and these comes in 8’s in a white box. Neat and classy, as potluck offering or as gift. Each box costs P360. Another tweaked the croissant and stuffed a cone-shaped soft bread with heavy chocolate filling. So homemakers, in your free time, follow the initiative of these ladies and earn a bit of money.

It is satisfying to see that what you produce is appreciated and can provide you with extra money.

Be innovative and earn.

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