This year I will celebrate my 10 years in Hungary, and living abroad has taught me many things:
- The importance of learning languages
- Surviving winter
- Cooking Filipino food, sometimes in the most creative ways
Honestly, cooking tuyo abroad is an extreme sport. The moment it hits the frying pan, the smell announces itself to the entire building. Windows are opened, exhaust fans work overtime, and prayers are offered that nobody mistakes your favorite breakfast for a dead body and reports you to the police.
My friend M once microwaved her fish lunch in the office kitchen – and at least two people left the dining area in disgust. The office management actually posted some general kitchen etiquette reminders: bring used glasses back to the washing racks, do not make noise, do not microwave fish.
In some countries, the police have been called to Filipino homes because of the stink of cooking dried fish.
One of my BFFs S sent me packages of tuyo, and while I really wanted to devour them, I had to consider the neighbors. I don’t want to be reported 🙂
So I read other people’s methods and experiences, and experimented. Here is what worked for me, and how I would cook dried fish going forward without risk of getting my permanent residency revoked.
Your weapons in this mission
- Air fryer
- Aluminium foil
- Cooking oil spray
- Pot for boiling water
- Scented dishwashing liquid
- Aromatherapy diffuser
- Aromatherapy oil in the scent of your choice – I used orange, similar to my dishwashing liquid
Steps to less stinky tuyo
- Get everything running before cooking: Boil water with scented dishwashing liquid in a pot, and turn on the aroma diffuser. If you have a range hood, turn that on as well.
- Preheat the air fryer as usual, while you prepare your fish.
- Create an envelope with the aluminium foil. It should be big enough for the amount and size of fish you are cooking. Spray the fish with oil. Leave a tiny opening in one corner of the envelope to let heat out.
- Cook in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 180° C.
- Make sure you have lots of garlic fried rice, fried eggs and spicy vinegar!
So what about the smell? There was still some smell – this is tuyo, after all. But it was really, really reduced. Maybe less than 10% remaining. Sensitive noses will still notice some fishy odor.
Cooking tuyo abroad does not have to be mission impossible. It can be, as my friends like to say, a production number.
A lot of effort for something we took for granted at home, but it is worth it. Because one bite of crispy tuyo doused in pinakurat vinegar will instantly transport you home!
