Aired (July 11, 2024): Sa Ilog Cagayan ay may makukuhang yaman na maliit man tingnan ngunit pangmalakasan ang biyayang hatid — ‘yan ang bennek. Ang paraan ng pagkuha at pagluluto nito, alamin sa video.
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00:00It's better to eat when you're not feeling guilty, right?
00:03The type of food that you'll feel guilty,
00:06it's better when you're not feeling guilty, you'll still feel good.
00:09That's right, brother Kim.
00:10Especially when you're having a hard time getting a new face.
00:16And of course, the taste is good.
00:18Yes, of course.
00:20That's how the scene in Ilog sa Cagayan
00:22is caught in the story of Katrina Sot.
00:25Oh, why is it caught there?
00:28In Ilog, Cagayan, there's a place where you can get rich.
00:39It may look small, but the taste and blessings are for the big ones.
00:44This is Bennek.
00:46The 45-year-old group of Melisa is getting ready to catch Bennek or Tulia.
00:57They swim for 20 minutes to the middle of Ilog, Cagayan, to catch Bennek.
01:04They lower the slippery piece of wood, which is called tapu.
01:10The slippery piece of wood is called ligik.
01:16When the tapu falls into the water,
01:19it scratches the upper part of the river where the Bennek are.
01:24In its breath, you can see the tapu full of Bennek.
01:29The Bennek are tied up and washed in the river using a round net
01:34to make sure that there's no mixed sand and dead Tulia.
01:38After catching the Bennek, Melisa goes straight to their kitchen.
01:47Melisa has already raised the Bennek catcher.
01:51That's the source of our living.
01:53She taught us how to catch Tulia.
01:57My mother and I both went to catch Tulia.
02:00Our whole community knows about that.
02:04Even though Melisa worked as a manager in Dubai for almost two decades,
02:09she didn't expect that she would ascend to Bennek.
02:13In 2021, her family started the Crispy Bennek business.
02:18She remembered that there's a Tulia that her grandmother cooks.
02:23To our surprise, our friends liked it and they started selling it.
02:30In Melisa's work, the Bennek are first soaked in water
02:34to remove the sand or dirt.
02:38After the soaked Bennek,
02:40they manually cut the inside of the Bennek,
02:43which they call gassagas.
02:45This is the process of how it's cut.
02:48What we need is the shell of a tapu.
02:52The shell of the tapu is pierced and then the inside is taken out.
02:58The pierced gassagas are thoroughly washed in a sieve.
03:04When it's dry, it can be fried.
03:08In hot oil, garlic and ginger will be sautéed.
03:12Then the gassagas or the inside of the Bennek will be fried.
03:15Let's add the lemongrass.
03:20It will be fried for two hours on low heat
03:23and will be mixed while it's being cooked.
03:26After the frying, the crispy fried Bennek is ready to eat.
03:36Mmm, it's delicious and crunchy.
03:38Mmm, it's delicious and tasty.
03:41It's super crunchy. You can even eat it with vegetables.
03:44Each pack can be bought for P50
03:48and it can last up to three months.
03:50According to the Fisheries Technologies of the Municipality of Lalo,
03:54Sheila Tumamao,
03:56the situation of the Gilog Cagayan is suitable,
03:59so she will stick to Bennek.
04:01Because of the type of sand,
04:06the most production is in Lalo
04:10because of the habitat preference of our Bennek.
04:14As of now, no regulations have been implemented
04:17on the extraction of Bennek from the river.
04:19Because it's seasonal,
04:21so if there's a lot of Bennek,
04:22that's where our gatherers will go.
04:27From harvesting to cooking,
04:30the making of crispy Bennek is a challenge.
04:33But it's worth it
04:36if it tastes delicious.
04:40I'm Katrina Son,
04:42and that's the story you need to know.
04:50For more information on Bennek, visit www.fisheries.noaa.gov