Sinanglay na Tilapia stuffed with onions and tomatoes, wrapped in pechay leaves, and cooked in coconut milk is a Bicolano dish everyone will love. It’s moist, flavorful and best served with steamed rice.
Guys, get ready to rock your taste buds as this stuffed tilipia stewed in coconut milk is full-on flavor! It’s rich, creamy, and spicy; siguradong mapapa-extra rice ka.
What is Sinanglay na Tilapia
Sinanglay na tilapia is a popular dish from Bicol, a region known for the heavy use of coconut milk and chili peppers in cooking such as their Bicol Express, gising-gising, and laing.
The tilapia is stuffed with a mixture of chopped tomatoes and shallots, and wrapped in pechay, mustard or gabi leaves. The prepared fish parcels are then tied together with strips of pandan leaves, which not only secure the fish but also infuses the sauce with its earthy flavors.
The wrapped tilapia are arranged in a pan and topped with coconut milk and chili peppers to gently cook until moist and tender and sauce is nicely thickened.
Sinanglay is a rich seafood dish best served with steamed rice. Get ready to have your hands dirty as the succulent fish, juicy bits of tomatoes and onions, and thick coconut sauce with delicious nuances of pandan taste are just begging for kamayan. 🙂
Looking for more tasty fish recipes? I’ve got you covered!
Sinanglay na Tilapia
Ingredients
- 2 whole tilapia, cleaned, scaled and gutted
- 2 large Roma tomatoes, diced
- 4 shallots, peeled and chopped
- 1 thumb-sized ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon tamarind powder or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 bunches large pechay leaves, stems trimmed
- 4 (about 1 foot long each) pandan leaves
- 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
- 2 finger chili peppers
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash fish and make sure innards are completely removed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a bowl, combine tomatoes, shallots, ginger, and tamarind powder.
- Rinse pandan leaves and pat dry.
- Divide tomato-onion mixture and gently spoon into the belly cavity of each fish.
- Wrap fish with pechay and tie with pandan to completely secure.
- In a wide pan, arrange prepared fish parcels in a single layer.
- Add coconut milk and chili peppers. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and bring to a simmer over low heat. Continue to cook for about 20 to 25 minutes or until fish is cooked through and sauce is reduced. Serve hot.
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Nutrition
HI! I want to try this but i dont like Tilpia. What other fish can i use?
Pampano will be great here or even mackarel, galunggong and tulingan.
hi Lalaine! I made this today. It was a hit with my 8 yr old. No chili peppers and I can’t find pandan leaves so I just used lemon grass. Still, it turned out great. Thanks!
Hello Chat
Lemongrass sounds like a wonderful substitute. Have to try it next time. Thanks for the tip 🙂
Wow will try it again, by the way , your BBQ recipe is GREAT. Thanks po
You’re welcome, Sherwin. I am glad you liked the BBQ recipe