HOW TO COOK GINISANG UPO (RECIPE)

HOW TO COOK GINISANG UPO (RECIPE) -Upo or bottle gourd is a very abundant vegetable in the Philippines. Many dishes are cooked with upo in the country like pesang isda with upo, sinibak na upo, etc. But Ginisa is the very famous and it has many ways to cook. In english, this dish is called sauteed bottle gourd which is literally means sauteed in onions and garlic with additional ingredients to boost the texture and flavor like pork or fish. Shrimp and sardines are also used. Bottle gourd may not be available in your country but if you want to try this recipe, you can replace upo with chayote or young papaya. In this recipe I am going to share with you, we are going to use Tinapa flakes or you can use any fried fish flakes as replacement. If you are into eating tuna flakes, it is also good to use canned tuna just use the plain flakes and oil. Very popular version of this dish is the one with tomatoes but some people do not like the idea of combining the taste of Upo and tomatoes so in this recipe, we are going to use pepper corn instead of tomatoes to make it a bit unique but delicious. Here is the Ginisang Upo Recipe:

HOW TO COOK GINISANG UPO (RECIPE)

INGREDIENTS
1 upo (about 1 kilo)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
1 medium size red onion (thinly sliced)
1/2 teaspoon peppercorn (ground)
2 cups deboned tinapa flakes (smoked fish)
cooking oil
1 teaspoon salt (or more depending on your taste)
1/2 cup water
MSG (optional)

STEP BY STEP COOKING PROCEDURE AND DIRECTIONS
1. Wash the upo well before peeling. Peel and thinly slice.
2. In a skillet, heat oil, saute garlic and onion until light brown.
3. Add the sliced upo and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add water, pepper and salt, cover the skillet and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the tinapa flakes and MSG, mix a little and continue simmering for 3 minutes.
6. And serve with rice.

HOW TO COOK GINISANG UPO (RECIPE)