Escabeche is not only common in the Philippines but also to other countries as well. For the Filipinos, the main ingredient is only fish but in other countries they also use chicken, rabbit meat and pork in their variety of escabeche.
Here is the Pinoy style for escabeche (with papaya).
Ingredients:
- 2 cups green papaya, cut in strips
- 1 medium sized fish
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 head garlic, sliced thin
- 1 tbsp ginger, sliced into strips
- 1 hot pepper, cut in strips
- 1 sweet red pepper, cut in strips
- 4 tbsps vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3 tbsps toyo
- 1 1/2 tbsps flour or cornstarch
- 4 tbsps sugar
- 2 tbsps lard
- 2 tsps salt
- fat for frying fish
Cooking Procedure:
- Clean fish and sprinkle with salt.
- Let it stand for about 15 minutes and drain well.
- Fry in hot fat until brown and set aside.
- Saute garlic, ginger, onion and papaya until papaya is half cooked.
- Add salt and pepper and the mixture of vinegar, waterl, toyo, sugar, and flour or starch.
- Cook until liquid thickens and the papaya becomes tender.
- Place fried fish on a platter and pour over it the gravy mixture.
- Garnish with sliced red-sweet pepper.