Sardines Sisig with Tofu

Sardines sisig with tofu is a popular Filipino sisig dish, made by canned tuna, tofu, eggs, calamansi juice, margarine, mayonnaise,onion, garlic, ginger, bell pepper, green chilies, soy sauce and oyster sauce. With the original sisig made from grilled pork, this recipe is a seafood version made with canned sardines for convenience. The sardines is matched with crispy tofu which is considered one of the best meat alternatives.Topped with eggs and chilies, the sardines sisig with tofu is best enjoyed with hot steaming rice, and of course, a pulutan to an ice cold beer. Yum!

SARDINES SISIG WITH TOFU RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 3 cans (155 grams) sardines
• 2 pieces tofu (sliced)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tablespoon calamansi juice
• Unsalted butter (or margarine)
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 medium white onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 small ginger (chopped)
• Red bell pepper (chopped)
• Green bell pepper (chopped)
• Red chilies (chopped and whole)
• Green long chilies (sliced)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• Black pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Open the cans of sardines and then drain. Transfer them to a plate and remove the fish bones. Set aside.
2. Slice the tofu into thin squares. Heat some oil in a pan and then fry until golden brown and crispy. Flip to cook the other side. Transfer them to a strainer or paper towel to drain excess oil. Then, slice them into small cubes. Set aside.
3. Heat some oil in a pan. Fry the sardines until crispy. Crush them gently into smaller pieces. When fried and crispy, remove them from the pan and set aside.
4. Using the same pan, melt the butter (or margarine). Add the ginger, garlic and onions. Saute for a few minutes until light brown and aromatic. Add the red and green bell peppers, red and green chilies and then saute for a few seconds.
5. Add the chopped fried tofu and cooked sardines back to the pan and saute a bit. Stir to mix well.
6. Season with soy sauce, oyster sauce, calamansi juice, black pepper and sugar (optional). Stir and mix for 2 minutes.
7. Add the mayonnaise and toss gently until the mayo is well incorporated. While still sizzling, crack two eggs. Stir to combine the eggs. Turn the heat off.
8. Transfer the sardines sisig with tofu to a sizzling plate. Enjoy this together with a big bowl of hot steaming rice or have it with some ice cold beer. Yum!

WHAT ARE SARDINES?

Once we hear the word “sardines”, we immediately associate it with the canned ones. Sardines in cans are more common than sardines from the market or grocery.

Sardines is a small type of fish from the herring family which is silver in color and oftenly comes in “schools”. A group of fish is called “a school of fish”. This only means that they swim in groups. If you have played Feeding Frenzy from your computer way back, there is a bonus point once you eat the fish in “schools”.

Most of the sardines caught from the ocean are processed into canned products. Some varieties we know are sardines in tomato sauce, in olive oil, and Spanish style sardines. For the recipe featured in this blog, we will be using Sardines in natural oil.

Aside from the fact that sardines in can are already cooked and is actually ready to eat, what I love most about the sardines is that after all the processing, the fish meat is super tender up to the bone! You can swallow the whole fish at once without being stung by fish bone! Being an easy to use ingredient, the sardines can be a quick alternative if you are craving for some fish sisig.

SARDINES SISIG WITH TOFU

Sisig is one of the Pinoy’s classic dishes. While sisig is prepared differently around the country, the version which is considered the most authentic one was the Kapampangan recipe, where the sisig is made by chopping and grilling the pig’s face, pork belly and liver and drizzled with a souring agent (usually vinegar and calamansi). With everyone’s love for sisig, this dish is now innovated for us to enjoy it better. Some people argue if mayo and egg truly belongs to sisig but for me, just follow what your heart (and tummy) desires!

Instead of just pork sisig, there are now fish sisig, chicken sisig, pork sisig and even veggie-based sisig! The authentic sisig is truly fun and satisfying to prepare but would actually take a bit of your time. Whenever I crave for sisig, I usually grab some quick to use items for me to have my sisig ready in just minutes. One thing I am super thankful for are canned goods. My fish sisig is on the way, thanks to canned sardines! I usually do this dish whenever I want a quick ulam or palaman to my tinapay. If I want it with rice, I usually add some tofu so the dish would expand and I can also share some with my family, taking note that tofu is one of best meat alternatives! Health is wealth!

If you wanna know how to make sardines sisig with tofu, read and follow the simple steps below. Happy cooking!

HOW TO MAKE SARDINES SISIG WITH TOFU

Making some sisig at home becomes extra easier when you’ve got the ingredients handy and available. If you’re a fan of canned sardines and want to know a new way to enjoy it, then start grabbing the ingredients and let’s start!

Our two main meats for our sisig are tofu and the canned sardines. For the tofu, simply cut them smaller then deep fry until brown and crispy. Then, you cut them into smaller cubes. The reason why we do not cut the tofu into smaller cubes during the start is to prevent them from absorbing too much of the oil. We want our tofu to have a crispy outside, but soft and smooth on the inside.

To prepare the canned sardines, simply drain it then remove the large fishbone in the middle. You can actually choose not to remove the fishbone if it does not bother you when eating later since the bones are soft enough to be eaten directly. To make it extra crispier, fry them a little just for the remaining juices to dry up. A little seared crust on the sardines can also add to the flavor of the dish.

To make the sisig, saute your aromatics first. I used red and green chilies and bell peppers to make it more colorful and pleasing to the eyes. When sauteed well, drop the tofu and the sardines back to the pan and saute. You can use whatever savoury seasoning is available to you. Before we conclude the end of sisig, create some light holes and then crack two eggs. If you’re using a sizzling plate, you can do this step before serving (but make sure it is still sizzling). If not, gently toss until the eggs cook.

Drizzle an adequate amount of mayonnaise on top. Toss gently until well coated. If you like the Kapampangan version of this dish, you can choose not to add mayonnaise and simply season them with more calamansi. The sardines sisig with tofu is now ready to be dug in!

I usually enjoy my sardines sisig with tofu on top of hot steaming rice. You can also enjoy this as a pulutan, or even a palaman to a sandwich! Yum!

COOKING TIPS:

• When you are about to make the actual sisig, you can do it in a sizzling plate already so you don’t have to transfer for later.