Pinaputok na Tahong

Pinaputok na Tahong. Once again I am sharing another OPC’s innovative dish, this one was inspired by a popular Pinoy dish called Pinaputok na Pla-pla or Pinaputok na Tilapia or Isda. If you are running out of ways to cook your tahong or you are simply sick of your usual Tinolang Tahong and looking for something different to cook your tahong, why not try my Pinaputok na Tahong.

To make my Pinaputok na Tahong I have to tweaked the stuffing ingredients intended for Pinaputok na Pla-pla and incorporate it with the tahong to achieved a similar flavor of Steamed Tahong and Pinaputok na Tahong. I omitted the bagoong alamang and sampalok sinigang mix from the ingredients, which I thought were not appropriate with tahong, instead I used some tanglad and some salt. For final touch I was hoping to drizzle some olive oil or topped with  butter  but in the end I used margarine to really make my Pinaputok na Tahong uniquely Pinoy.

My next problem was how to wrap a kilo of tahong with foil and without damaging the foil or making sure that all the goodies and juices are trapped during grilling. What I did was to use disposable aluminum baking tray, first I line up the aluminum tray with banana leaves. The banana leaves are an important item, the aroma of burnt banana leaves are part of a Pinaputok na Pla-pla or Isda flavor.

Here is the recipe of my Pinaputok na Tahong.

Ingredients:

1 kilo large size tahong, green mussels

3-4 medium size tomato, chopped

2-3 medium size oinion, peeled, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, finely chopped

3-4 thumb size ginger, skinned, cut into thin strips

1 stalk lemon grass, trimmed, crushed

3-4 tbsp. margarine

salt

Others:

banana leaves

medium size disposable aluminum baking tray

aluminum foil

Cooking procedure:

Wash mussels and place in a bowl, cover with water and let sit in for several hours to allow the mussels to expel dirt and discard water, wash and drain, keep aside. Line the disposable aluminum baking tray with banana leaves, keep aside. In a bowl toss the chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, chopped garlic and ginger. Now place half of the mixed chopped ingredients on the bottom of the aluminum baking tray lined with banana leaves, and then arrange the mussels on top of the chopped ingredients. Make sure that the aluminum baking tray is not over filled with the mussels there should be some space when the mussels pop open. Place the remaining half of the chopped ingredients and the margarine on top of the mussels, season with salt to taste. Cover with banana leaves then seal the aluminum baking tray with aluminum foil. Place the aluminum baking tray on a grill at moderate heat, let cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot with a lot of rice.