Simmered Fish

Long time ago, in the days before there are road transportation, the people of my village have to walk miles away along the Kadamaian River bank to reach the nearest town of Kota Belud. Its purpose is to exchange (barter system) goods from the highland such as forest products, vegetables, tobacco and a few other with the goods that can only be found in the town such as salt, sugar, salted fish, anchovies and some fresh fish. All of these goods are carried using 'wakid'.

wakid - for carrying various types of goods

Before starting the journey back, fresh fish should be cooked first to prevent it from becoming stale and rotten. It has to be boiled until the gravy is completely dry. The fish that cooked thoroughly are more durable and can last up to two weeks.

Today I wanna share this fish recipe... it's difficult to obtain the original ingredients here in town, so I slightly modified the recipe by replace some of the ingredients.  However, the cooking methods are still the same.

Simmered Fish

(Pinarasakan Sada)

Main Ingredients: 

Fresh Mackerel Scad @ Ikan Basung

a few slices of raw pineapple

(clockwise)
minced tuhau
sliced green & white part of scallion, garlic, shallot and ginger

Seasoning Ingredients:

~Some salt, MSG(optional) and sugar to taste.

Cooking Method:

• As a base, place the 'tintap' leaf at the bottom of the pot followed by sliced pineapple.

• Mix well fish with the seasoning, minced tuhau and sliced ingredients. Then place into the pot.

• Place the green parts of scallion on top and then cover with the excess slice of pineapple.

• Place the pot lid, cook with hard fire until boiling and then bring to simmer until the gravy is almost dry.
• Transfer the fish to a serving dish and garnish with chopped green onion. Ready to serve.

simmered fish @ pinarasakan sada

* More durable if cooked until the gravy is completely dry, but I prefer to leave a little because it's very tasty and the aroma is so tempting *