00:00Here's the challenge this morning!
00:02Catching hito!
00:04That's right!
00:06It's so slippery, but at least they're on the net.
00:08Wow, that's a lot.
00:10They say that the hito in that farm can reach up to 100,000.
00:14Wow!
00:15Wow!
00:16It's so delicious to grill and eat it with coconut milk.
00:18Yum!
00:19But before we taste that, we'll let Chef JR catch it first.
00:23Chef JR, are the hito big there?
00:25But be careful because there's something there.
00:27There's something there, right?
00:28Yes.
00:29Be careful, okay?
00:32Yes, ma'am. You're right.
00:34A blessed morning, Kapuso!
00:36You're right.
00:37We're being careful here.
00:39As you said, there's a hito there.
00:41But we caught an African hito this morning.
00:44And yes, it's big.
00:46Because it's been here for five months,
00:48it weighs around 1 kilogram.
00:50Around 800 to 1 kilogram.
00:52Sometimes, one hito can weigh up to 2 kilos.
00:55And here we are in Plara del Bulacan,
00:57where our adventure is in a hito farm.
01:00And we're here with our friend,
01:02Christian Marc Mondoc,
01:04or better known online,
01:05Mac Hito.
01:06Good morning, sir.
01:07A blessed morning, brother.
01:09You're really hands-on in taking care of hitos, right?
01:12Yes, sir.
01:13Brother Mac, what are the challenges in taking care of hitos?
01:18We need to size them monthly
01:21so that they won't shrink
01:23and they'll grow up nicely.
01:25But compared to others,
01:27isn't it harder to take care of?
01:29Yes, sir. It's easier to take care of them
01:31because they're strong.
01:33Even though they're in the water,
01:35they're strong.
01:36So, it's low-maintenance.
01:37Yes.
01:38But I noticed something,
01:40they have strings attached to their hearts.
01:42Speaking of challenges,
01:43why do you have these?
01:45For our fingerlings,
01:47so that they won't get trapped in the water.
01:51Because they have enemies here,
01:52the hitos.
01:53There are predators that eat them.
01:56Sir Mac was telling me earlier
01:58that they caught 1,000 hitos
02:00and about 30 fingerlings got eaten.
02:04Yes, sir.
02:05Then, sir, when it comes to hitos,
02:07I said 5 months,
02:08but how long do you take care of them?
02:11Until 7 months, sir.
02:12Until all the hitos are eaten.
02:15Then, they're big, right?
02:16Yes.
02:17They have 3 hectares here
02:19and 6 ponds.
02:20That's why we said earlier
02:21that there are about 100,000 hitos, right?
02:24For each pond, sir,
02:25how many fingerlings do you have?
02:2810,000 to 15,000 hitos.
02:30Okay.
02:3110,000 to 15,000 hitos.
02:32Sir Mac, let's go.
02:33Sir Mac mentioned something earlier
02:35about sizing.
02:36So, after we harvest,
02:38normally, sir,
02:39what month do you start harvesting?
02:41About 4 to 5 months, sir.
02:43That's when we start harvesting.
02:454 to 5 months.
02:46Here,
02:47it's really light.
02:48Our catch,
02:50in fact,
02:51we already have a buyer
02:52who's waiting here.
02:53So, after we get that,
02:55catch it on the net,
02:56here,
02:57we have a place here,
03:01a table,
03:02where the sizing is said.
03:05What is it?
03:06Why?
03:07What is the purpose of our sizing, sir Mac?
03:09For us to give the right size
03:12to our buyers, sir.
03:13Okay, because we can see here
03:15that the sizes are different.
03:16Why is that?
03:17If we don't have the right size,
03:18will it have an impact on our pond?
03:20Yes, sir.
03:21It's hard for them to grow up.
03:24The others are just eating, right?
03:26Yes, they're just eating.
03:27So, they're just eating.
03:28But here's our hito.
03:30We said earlier
03:31that we won't let them go beyond
03:32being able to cook a solid recipe.
03:35Sir Mac,
03:36wait for me there
03:37because we'll be cooking hito bistec this morning.
03:40Here's our hito bistec.
03:42Basically,
03:43it's really easy.
03:44Of course, if you're in the market,
03:45you can request for cleaning, of course.
03:48And then,
03:49for this specific dish,
03:50we'll just request for the steak cut.
03:52You can also have it filleted.
03:54Or if your pan is bigger,
03:56you can cook it whole.
03:58So, we have here
03:59our processed hito.
04:03Of course,
04:04we'll season it with salt and pepper.
04:10We'll just rub it a bit
04:11so that our seasoning will be absorbed.
04:13And then,
04:14just to add texture to our hito,
04:18we're going to coat it with some cornstarch.
04:23So, once we've added the cornstarch,
04:28we can now fry it.
04:30In fact, we already have one here.
04:32So, we'll fry it until it turns golden brown.
04:35It depends on you
04:36if you want it more crispy.
04:38It's a winner.
04:39You can definitely do that.
04:41Once we get the right color,
04:43the right texture,
04:46that's what we're looking for,
04:47golden brown.
04:49We'll set it aside.
04:52And of course,
04:55we'll let it cook.
04:57This is what's good about this dish
04:58because it's simple.
04:59You don't need a long preparation.
05:02We'll just reduce the oil.
05:04And then,
05:05of course,
05:07we have the liquid here.
05:09We just need to add a bit of water.
05:14And then, our oyster sauce.
05:20And of course,
05:21it won't be bisnik
05:22if we don't have our signature garnish,
05:25onions.
05:28This is optional as well.
05:29We can add in bell peppers.
05:32So, we have red and green.
05:34And of course,
05:35let's not forget the calamansi.
05:39There.
05:41I always tend to put the calamansi towards the end
05:43so that we can preserve the taste and sourness
05:48of our calamansi.
05:51So,
05:52let's just cook this.
05:53We'll cook it until the onions are separated.
05:58Basically, that means that
05:59it's ready to be swept.
06:02So, you don't need to separate the onions one by one,
06:06especially if you're making bisnik.
06:07Because while it's cooking,
06:09the moisture evaporates.
06:12There.
06:13It's separating one by one.
06:14Compared to other fish,
06:16our catfish has whiskers.
06:20It's called barbells.
06:22It's called bigote.
06:24And here it is.
06:26Brother Max,
06:28our dish is that simple.
06:31There.
06:32Come here, brother.
06:33See?
06:34It's handsome, right?
06:36There.
06:38Our bell pepper is still alive.
06:40Brother Max, try this.
06:42Of course, our brother Max will taste it
06:44if he passes our hito bisnik.
06:47There.
06:48It's easy to cook and take care of.
06:51What do you think, Pasado?
06:52It's of good quality, chef.
06:53Good.
06:54It's a win.
06:55Right, Kapuso?
06:56You can add more to your recipes.
06:58And of course, add calamansi to those who are interested
07:00in taking care of hito.
07:02For them, if they have backyards.
07:04Brother Max, Kapuso,
07:06solid food adventures
07:08and solid recipes
07:10are always the focus of your country's morning show
07:12where you're always the first to hit it!
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07:38Thank you!
07:39Okay, bye!
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