Sinanglay /Tilapia in Coconut Milk (Gata)

Tired of the usual fried tilapia? Here's an alternative way to cook your fish. Sinanglay as I've known is a dish from Bikol province, thus the gata (coconut milk) which is widely used in the region's cuisine. I've had a few variations of this dish some with souring agent, others salty with the incorporation of bagoong alamang and some delightfully spicy. The leaves used to wrap the fish also varies from pechay, to gabi, to pandan and even banana. To me it's just a matter of preference and sometimes to what ingredients you have on hand.

What's In It:

2 medium tilapia (you can cut it in half if it's large sized)
pechay leaves, choose the big ones since you're using it to wrap the fish with
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
ginger, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
lemongrass
2 cups coconut milk
chillies
salt
1/2 tsp. sugar

Have the fish monger clean the tilapia thoroughly. Gutted, scales removed and the fins chopped off. Be sure to wash the fish at home especially the inside and the head to get rid of the slimey stuff. To lessen the fishy smell you can either spritz some lemon juice on your fish or immerse it in a bowl of cold water with grated ginger/ vinegar.

How It's done:
Rub the fish with salt all over. Mix the tomatoes, onion, ginger and garlic. Stuff half of this mixture inside the stomach cavity of the fish together with the lemongrass. Put the other half of the mixture at the bottom of your pan. Wrap each fish in pechay leaves, you might need to use 2 or more leaves if the tilapia is a bit big. Lay the fish on top of the tomato mixture. Add in the chillies. Pour in the coconut milk. Simmer for 20-30 min. over medium heat. Season wit sugar and salt. Serve with bagoong alamang or patis with calamansi on the side.