Paksiw facts for kids
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Top: A serving of paksiw na isda;
Middle: Inun-unan, a Visayan paksiw which does not include vegetables and is primarily spiced with ginger; Bottom: Visayan-style lechon paksiw from Northern Mindanao |
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| Course | Main course |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Philippines |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Vinegar, fish sauce and spiced with siling mahaba |
| Similar dishes | Philippine adobo, kinilaw |
Paksiw is a popular Filipino cooking style. Its name means "to cook and simmer in vinegar." Many different dishes use this cooking method. What's being cooked can change the dish a lot.
Sometimes, a dish called Pinangat na isda is also called paksiw. However, it's a bit different. Pinangat na isda uses sour fruits like calamansi, kamias (which is also called bilimbi), or sampalok (tamarind) to make the broth sour. It doesn't use vinegar.
Contents
Discovering Paksiw Dishes
Paksiw is a general term for many different foods cooked in a vinegar broth. Let's explore some of them!
Fish Paksiw with Coconut Milk
This dish is a common type of ginataang isda, which means fish cooked in coconut milk. For ginataang paksiw na isda, vinegar is added to make the broth sour. This way of cooking combines two Filipino styles: ginataan (using coconut milk) and paksiw (using vinegar).
Inun-unan: A Visayan Fish Dish
Inun-unan is a special version of fish paksiw from the Visayas region. It uses a lot of ginger for flavor. Onions, shallots, pepper, salt, and sometimes siling haba chilis are also added. Unlike paksiw na isda from the northern Philippines, inun-unan usually doesn't have vegetables. Also, very little or no water is added to the broth. The name inun-unan comes from a Visayan word meaning "to stew with vinegar, salt, and spices."
Paksiw na Baboy: Sweet and Savory Pork
Paksiw na baboy is a pork dish. It often uses pork hock or shank. This dish is cooked with ingredients similar to adobo. But it also has sugar and banana blossoms (or sometimes pineapples) to make it sweeter. Water is added to keep the meat moist and create a rich sauce.
Paksiw na Dilis: Anchovies in Banana Leaves
This is a unique type of fish paksiw. It's made with anchovies, which are called dilis in Tagalog and bolinaw in Visayan languages. The anchovies are wrapped in a banana leaf before cooking. In Visayan-speaking areas, it's also known as inun-unan na bolinaw or pinais na bolinaw.
Paksiw na Isda: Classic Fish in Vinegar
Paksiw na isda is fish that is gently cooked in a vinegar broth. It's usually seasoned with fish sauce. It also gets its spice from siling mahaba chilis. This dish often includes vegetables, like ampalaya (bitter melon).
Paksiw na Lechon: Leftover Roasted Pork
Paksiw na lechon is a dish made from leftover spit-roasted pork, called lechon. The pork is cooked in vinegar, garlic, onions, and black pepper, with some water. In the Luzon region, people often add ground liver or liver spread, which is sometimes called "lechon sauce." However, the Visayan versions of this dish do not include liver.
