Sinanglay na Tilapia Recipe
“Sinanglay na Tilapia is a popular Bicolano dish made by putting tomato mixture into the tipalia’s belly then wrapped in pechay leaves and cooked in coconut milk. It’s so flavorful and best paired with steamed rice.”
This sinanglay na tilapia recipe is so tasty, flavorful, creamy and spicy, it will delight your palate.
The combination of tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and lemongrass is unexpectedly sweet and brings aromatic flavor to the dish. Cooked in the creaminess of coconut milk and the spiciness of the chilies, you will request more rice.
This is somewhat similar to ginataang tilapia, however some ingredients and processes vary. The fish needs to be stuff first and wrapped in a leaf before cooking it in coconut milk.
What is sinanglay na tilapia
Sinanglay na tilapia is a popular dish native from Bicol, a region in the Philippines known for the abundant use of coconut milk and chili peppers in their dishes like the Bicol express and laing.
Preparing this creamy dish
Preparing this dish is simple. Just combine all the ingredients for stuffing the fish, place it in the belly of the fish and wrapped it with pechay leaves. Securing it with lemongrass stalk or you can use pandan leave or kitchen twine. Place the wrapped tilapia in a large cooking pan/ wok and pour the coconut milk, fish sauce, and chilies. Then simmer in low heat until the sauce thickens. After at least 25 minutes, your sinanglay is ready!
Additional tips
I recommend using lemongrass not only for securing the stuffing while cooking, but it also brings a nice flavor and aroma to the dish.
You can add more chilies if you want this dish to be really spicy. Or you can chop the chilies when cooking it to release it spiciness.
So grab your chair and get ready to savor this delicious recipe. Its time to dig in, kamayan na!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and tell me how you liked it in the comments section below; I love hearing from you! Happy tummy!
Sinanglay na Tilapia Recipe
Equipment
- Measuring spoon
- Chopping board and knife
- Mixing bowl and spoon
- Cooking pan/ wok
Ingredients
- 2 whole tilapia, cleaned and scaled
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 thumb-sized ginger, minced
- 1 stalk lemongrass, pounded and minced (use 2 inches long, inner layer) — remove 2-3 outer layers to serve as string and secure pechay leaves in the tilapia
- ¼ teaspoon (or more) salt and pepper
- ¼ teaspoon(or more) ground black pepper
- 2 bunch pechay leaves, stems trimmed
- 400 grams coconut milk
- 4 pieces chilies
Instructions
- Clean fish by removing scales and innards, wash thoroughly and season with salt.
- In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, onion, salt and pepper. Mix until well blended.
- Divide the mixture equally and stuff into the shallow belly of each fish.
- Wrap with pechay leaves and securely tie with a lemongrass stalk (or pandan leaves or kitchen twine).
- In a large cooking pan/wok, place wrapped fish in single layer.
- Pour coconut milk and fish sauce and then add chilies.
- Cover and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for about 25-30 minutes or until fish is cooked through and sauce is thickened/reduced.
- Transfer to a serving dish.
- Serve while hot with steamed rice and enjoy!
Video
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