The last time I was in Cebu, I made a point of dining in restaurants I had not tried before. The experiences ranged from amusing to instructive — on the whole, time and money well spent. Still, I yearned for something simple and familiar before I left. It was past 10 PM, so we decided on Ned Nanay’s Grill, a short distance from Cebu Doctors’ Hospital uptown.
The last thing I wanted at Ned Nanay’s was to be surprised. I had my usual pork barbecue and grilled spicy chorizo. My companions ordered nilarang, Visayan hot and sour soup, more familiar elsewhere in the archipelago as sinigang. I have had the dish before, but never at Ned Nanay’s. Theirs hit all the right notes. Even if, as I suspected, it was flavored with powdered mix and Magic Sarap (maybe MSG as well), it tasted so good it would have been churlish to harp on that aspect. I myself am not above culinary cheating.
As my father is not keen on molmol (parrotfish) or bakasí (eel), fish mostly associated with nilarang, and certainly not on tagotongan (horned boxfish) like they use at the Pasil market in Cebu, I opted for lapu-lapu (grouper). To make nilarang, start by frying fish slices in a bit of oil until they lose their raw color (no need to brown); remove fish from pan; set aside. Next, sauté ginger, red onions, tomatoes, and a finger chili in a pot for a minute or so, then add a teaspoon or two of good fish sauce, followed by water and fried fish.
I used passionfruit broth instead of plain water, about three quarters of a cup for each fish slice. You can use tamarind or any sour broth; powdered is okay, too. Adjust sourness to your preference, then season to taste. Add spring onion greens and a bird’s-eye chili or two (for heat; I used chili oil), and let soup simmer for another minute before serving. Prepare to fall in love.
PS: Ned Nanay’s nilarang had whole salted black beans, but I forgot about that bit. Remember to rinse the beans before using. Some online recipes call for coconut milk. If it’s all right with you, I prefer to keep things simple at the moment.
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