The craving for my mother’s tinolang isda (fish soup) got the best of me one day but I’m so far from home and there were no side-walk restaurants and eateries anywhere where comfort foods like this are available.
This is one of those times where I was left with no option but to cook my own. Luckily there was a red snapper fish from one of the Asian stores nearby. I just threw everything to the boiling pot. Onions, tomatoes, green beans and the red snapper, the tail of which looks like a mermaid’s tail, hence this post’s title.
Everything went well, minus a very important ingredient- malunggay leaves but again, this is one of those times where you just have to make do of what you have. Of course, it tastes okay only for me. My mama’s home-cooked fish soup is unequaled maybe because it brings back memories of childhood and growing up.
The fish soup brings back memories of how my mama used to spoonfeed us when we were sick and even when I was already in college. My mother is a basic cook, nothing of those fancy cuisines and she’s very very picky as a semi-vegetarian. She doesn’t eat meat or even chicken eggs but her home cooking is something that we all long for now that we’ve flown off the nest.
Anyways, back to the mermaid soup- there’s no mystery or magic in there. I don’t have culinary skills and there’s no “because” or valid reason for it. Just get the ingredients I mentioned above, and throw them all in the pot. Oh, my one and only tip- at least let the water boil first before you drop the mermaid aka fish in. See you next time.
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