More Food Adventures: Pinaputok na Telapia

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The first time I tatsted Pinaputok na Telapia was in Quezon City, at Likha Diwa in UP Village. Well, that day, I was with my uncle as we were on our way to see his agent for his car insurance. The agent was stuck so my uncle asked me where I want to go so he will take me there, and leave me there for quite awhile, so he can proceed to where the agent was stuck at that time. We were still in Philcoa, so I asked him to drop me off at the stop. I then called my childhood best friend, Gay, who lives at Krus na Ligas at that time. So Gay and I explored UP Diliman and when we got hungry, decided to eat something that is new to my taste-buds.

Likha Diwa is an artists' haven. Most people who go there are inclined toward the arts and they even have poetry readings at the said venue. And they served organic food. Natural, tasty and creatively done. So that is why the place is called Likha Diwa.

This is my version of Pinaputok na Telapia. The taste of the Pinaputok na Telapia that I had ages ago at Likha Diwa still lingers in my head. So I decided to recreate it.

First, prepare the garnish as well as the flavorings. There you have tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger. Add some Basil and Rosemary, plus a dash of salt and if you like it spicy enough, add dried chillies.

Fill the Telapia with the mix. As soon as you are ready to wrap, have the Banana Leaves run through heat or fire to make it elastic enough to hold the fish and not tear up easily.

Of course, you have to seal the folded Banana Leaf that contained the fish..

So get some aluminum foil. The process seals the juices and the flavors inside.

Just make sure that you have neatly arranged them in the dish where they will be placed for boiling..

In our case, we used an oven top boiler so you can see the dish goes from cooking to serving.. By the way, when you serve this to your guests, remove the aluminum foil. Let the banana leaf be the bearer of the star and not the foil.. Surprise your audience and let them enjoy the fish.. yumyum..

I remember my food back at Likha Diwa.... A huge plate with the Telapia wrapped in Banana Leaf and organic brown rice. For drinks, Gay and I had Cucumber lemon Shake.. OMG! I was in heaven and died that day.. hahaha