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Piaparan a Bakas

Piaparan A Bakas is a dish that uses smoked tuna as the meat and is cooked with coconut milk, turmeric and a special paste called ‘Palapa’.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Filipino
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6
Author Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook

Ingredients

For the soup:

  • Cooking oil
  • 4 cloves garlic sliced
  • 1 tomato sliced
  • 1 onion sliced
  • 1/2 cup palapa see notes*
  • 1-2 tbsp turmeric powder see notes**
  • 750 ml fresh coconut milk see notes***
  • 250 ml fresh coconut cream see notes***
  • 1 kilo Bakas smoked tuna, cut into chunks
  • spring onions sliced

For the papar:

  • Cooking oil
  • 4 cloves garlic sliced
  • 1 tomato sliced
  • 1 onion sliced
  • 1/4 cup bell pepper sliced
  • 1/4 cup of palapa see notes*
  • 1-2 tbsp turmeric powder see notes**
  • 2 cups of fresh grated coconut meat
  • 1/4 cup from the soup
  • spring onions sliced

Instructions

For the soup:

  1. In a pot over medium-high heat, add cooking oil.
  2. When the cooking oil is hot enough, add garlic and cook until soft and fragrant. Add tomatoes and onions; cook until soft.
  3. Add palapa (or palapa substitute - see notes) and turmeric powder, and then mix.
  4. Pour the coconut milk into the pan and then add the chunks of Bakas (smoked tuna). Let the coconut milk boil and then add the coconut cream; let it boil again.
  5. Add sliced spring onions and season with salt. Turn off the heat.
  6. Remove the fish from the pot and transfer to a plate; set aside.

For the papar:

  1. In a pan over medium-high heat, add cooking oil.
  2. When the cooking oil is hot enough, add garlic and cook until soft and fragrant. Add tomatoes, bell peppers and onions; cook until soft.
  3. Add palapa (or palapa substitute - see notes).
  4. Add fresh grated coconut meat and turmeric powder. Mix until even in color.
  5. Take about 1/4 cup of the soup from the pot and add to the pan; mix again.
  6. Add sliced spring onions and season with salt.
  7. Remove from the heat.

To serve:

  1. Put the papar on a serving plate and top with the fish. Transfer the soup in a separate bowl and place next to the plate with papar and fish.
  2. Serve this with cooked white rice.

Recipe Notes

*Palapa is a Maranao condiment that is commonly used in Maranao dishes. If you don’t have Palapa, you can mix ginger, white part of spring onions and chilis, then pound then into a paste.

**Some turmeric powder has darker or brighter color than the other. Start with 1 tbsp and check from there if you need to add more.

***I recommend using fresh coconut milk and coconut cream. However, if you don’t have access to fresh coconut milk and coconut cream, you may try using canned coconut milk and coconut cream. I can’t tell you how it will turn out because I haven’t tried using one before.