Tinapa (Smoked Fish)

Ingredients: 2 kg of Galunggong fish ( I use Kembong here in Malaysia) 1 Quart of Salt 3 Quarts of water For smoking: 1/2 cup rice cup tea (your choice of tea, I only have Sabah tea available so that is what used. 3 tbsp. sugar (I used brown sugar) 2 pcs star anise 10 pcs coriander seeds Cooking Procedure: 1. Clean the fish thoroughly. If fresh, the fish entrails may be left intact, else the entrails are removed. 2. Make the brine solution by adding warm water and dissolving the salt into a large bowl.

3. Soak the fish in a brine solution until the eyes of the fish become white. Make sure that
the fish is complete submerged. Approximately 30 minutes. 4. Put the fish with brine in a pot, put weights on top so the fish will not float during cooking. Boil for 5 minutes. Boiling the brine solution helps in maintaining the firmness of the fish.

5. Strain the cooked fish. Let the water drain. Partially sundry fish for 30-45 minutes.
Make sure to cover fish with fishnet to avoid contamination.

6. Prepare indoor smoker. Cover your wok in a piece of heavy duty foil that hangs over
the edges by at least 5-6 inches on the sides. The foil should be pressed into the base of the wok and be wide enough on all sides to come up over the edges of a metal rack set on top of it. If you have a round rack that can be inserted into the wok, all the better, so long as it is at least three inches above the floor of the wok. A regular cooling rack works fine. 7. Place your smoking ingredients in the base of the wok.

8. Put the rack to above the wok, then place the food to be smoked on top of it. Make sure
that none of the pieces stick out over the edge of the wok. Leave space in between them to allow for circulation. Fish should be placed as close to the center of the wok

9. Place a second large piece of heavy duty aluminium foil over the top of the food. Lift
the edges of the bottom sheet up and crimp the two pieces of foil together tightly so that the entire rack is enclosed in a foil tent. You may consider using kitchen towels or oven mitts while doing this, as the foil can get pretty hot. Try and leave as much room for circulation above the food as possible.

10. Heat the wok over medium-high for 5 minutes then high heat for 10 minutes, then
shut off the heat and let the food sit for a further 20 minutes, during which time the smoke dissipates.

11. Pack fish after it has completely cooled. If the fish is packed while it is still hot, fungus
will be produced.