Ginataang Tambakol (Tuna/Mackerel in Coconut Milk)

Fish in coconut milk is probably one of my all time favorite dishes. Be it Tulingan, Tambakol or Tilapia, served with a dipping sauce combo of soy sauce, lemon and chili pepper, I would surely consume more than my fair share of rice! Lol!
Last Friday's trip to the fresh market in Abu Hamour was a good one in terms of fish with most of my favorites available in the stalls, but not exactly the same with the vegetable section. We decided to just skip the veggies and just buy them from the supermarket.
It was a welcome site to see an abundant supply of skip jack tuna (tambakol) in almost all of the stalls, and with that, of course they came very cheap at QR5/each ($1.36) with a bargain rate of QR10/3pcs (about ($0.91). This was the price when I have just arrived in Qatar in 2000! Mind you, they had become so expensive about 2-4 years ago when there had been an influx for Pinoy Expats in Qatar and the vendors discovered how the Pinoys love them so they have racked up the price to about QR12 ($3.28) per piece! So finding it go back to its very low price was a welcome surprise! We of course bought 3 pieces to enjoy for the week. For lunch on that Friday, we had just served it fried together with Expat Daddy's Halabos na Hipon in Banana Ketchup Sauce. With fish that fresh, you really would just enjoy it cooked grilled or fried without any fuss :).

Since I don't want to keep to fish frozen too long, I have decided to to cook the other piece the following day, this time with coconut milk. Again, another simple dish that never fails! Everybody loves it that I had to make sure the maids reserved some for the Expat Daddy for when he comes home from work. What again was a pleasant surprise to me is that the girls love it too! 


Ingredients:
1 whole regular sized Tuna (about 1kg)
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 cup coconut milk
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, sliced
ginger (about an inch), sliced
2pcs eggplants, sliced
2 pcs green chilis
2 tbs palm vinegar
salt and pepper to taste


Method:
Clean fish by removing its gills and guts then slice to serving pieces. Season with salt.
In a skillet, heat oil and fry the eggplants about 2 minutes each side or until lightly brown. Remove from pan and transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to remove excess oil. 
Using the same pan, fry the fish about 5-8 minutes each side (depending on the thickness of the fish slices). When cooked, turn off heat and remove the fish. Reduce oil to about 2 tbs for the sauce. 
Reheat the pan then add the garlic and ginger. Saute for about 2 minutes until soft and fragrant then add the onions. Cook until onions are translucent. 
Adjust the heat to low and then add the coconut milk with gentle stirring. Simmer for about 5 minutes then add the vinegar, at this point, do not stir. Let it simmer for another 3 minutes. 
Adjust thickness of sauce by slowly adding water up to desired consistency. Drop the whole green chilies. Adjust taste with salt and pepper.
Put back the fried fish, eggplants back into the pan, simmer for another 5 minutes (turn over the fish and eggplants to coat both sides).
Turn off heat. Transfer into a serving plate and serve with hot rice and a dipping sauce mix of soy sauce, lemon and chili pepper. Enjoy!