If you were born and raised in Bacolod City like I was, the one phrase that makes you drool is "inasal kag sinamak" (Bacolod Chicken and Spiced Vinegar).I dip almost everything in sinamak, from grilled pork chops to broiled fish to steamed shrimps to egg rolls. The rule of thumb is, the simpler the dish(as in, plain ol' salt and pepper and no heavy, creamy sauces), the better it tastes with sinamak.
Being a Bacolod Girl at heart, I'm a snob when it comes to sinamak so I make my own. The ones that I've found at Filipino stores, if they have them, just don't have the aroma and the pungency of the sinamak that I grew up on.
So here's how I make my sinamak:
- Chop ginger (4 thumb-size pieces), hot chili peppers (10 pcs., jalapenos are best), garlic (10 cloves), black peppercorns (10) and a small red onion and put in a mixing bowl.
- Pour coconut vinegar into bowl and mix.
- Pour vinegar mixture into clean long-necked glass bottles.
- Seal tightly and let sit in a cool, dry place for at least 2 weeks.
How do you know when sinamak is ready to use for dipping? Uncork it and take a whiff. If it punches a whole through your nasal passages and tickles your salivary glands, you know your taste buds are about to have a party!
You can make your sinamak as spicy or as mild as you want by adjusting the amount of spices that you add to the coconut vinegar.
I love salty stuff so I always sprinkle a bit of sea salt into my sinamak before dipping into it as well.
Happy eating!
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