Fried Fish in Black Sauce

Fish are an excellent source for health. For the most part, fish contain fewer fats than most meats. The fat contained in fish, such as linolenic acid and omega-3 fatty acids, are considered good for the health.   It’s provided protection against heart disease and was also a great food for the brain.  That is why the American Heart Foundation recommended people to eat fish at least twice a week.   Besides, fish are also an excellent source of protein and wide variety of vitamins and minerals that gives great benefits to our body.

For today's recipe, I would like to share one of my family's favorite fish dish.  This recipe is really easy to prepare.  It's won't take you long to get the rich taste and absolutely delicious. 

Fried Fish in Black Sauce 
(Ikan putih masak sambal kicap)

Ingredients:

• 1 white fish
• 1 big onion (cut into rings)
• 1 red pepper (sliced)
• 1 egg white (beaten)
• 3 tbsp corn flour 
• Half cup of water

Pounded ingredients:

• 4 shallots 
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 3 red chilies 
• 1 stalk lemongrass

Seasoning:

• 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp tamarind juice
• Salt and sugar to taste

Method:

• Clean and make 2 slanting cuts in both sides of the fish.
• Slightly coat with salt and beaten egg white, dredge it with corn flour.
• Deep fry fish over high heat for 1 minute then lower to medium heat.  Fry for about 5 minutes or till it turns golden brown and crispy. Set aside.
• Sauté pounded ingredients by medium heat until fragrant and oil rises.
• Pour in all seasoning ingredients followed by half cup of water.  Bring to boil.
• Add in big onion and sliced red chili.  Stir to combine.
• Pour the sauce over fish. Garnish and serve hot to enjoy the crisp of the fish.

Fish head with Watercress Soup

Soup is a must dish in KadazanDusun daily meal.  It is such a complementary to every meal in lunch or dinner. Even in a simple meal, there must be a sup.  Sometimes it can be served alone as a main dish and eaten with plain white rice.

My recipe for today is the fish head soup with watercress. As stated by Kitchen Flavours in his watercress soup recipe, The watercress is really nutritious and delicious as it helps to reduce heatiness and detoxifies the body. 

Watercress does have many benefits for health.  Compared to raw and boiled broccoli, raw tomato and a raw apple, Watercress is the better source of vitamins C, B1 and B6, K, E, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium and zinc.

Everybody knows that fish is an excellent source of protein, a vital source of essential fatty acids and contains a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.  So the combination of fish head and watercress soup not only tastes delicious but also full of nutrients.

Fish Head with Watercress Soup

Ingredients:

1. 1 fish head
2. a bunch of watercress
3. some ginger (thinly sliced)
4. some white part of scallion (sliced)
5. 1 tbsp sesame oil

Seasoning:

1. 1tbsp salt
2. a pinch of anchovies granules
3. a pinch of pepper powder

Method:

• Clean the fish head and cut into medium pieces.  
• Coat with cornstarch, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper powder. Marinate for a while. Fry until golden brown.  Set aside.
• Clean and simply pluck the leaves and the soft part of the watercress stems.
• Heat up sesame oil in a pot.  Fry ginger until aromatic and then add in sliced white part of scallion.
• Pour about 1litre of water and bring to boil.
• Add in fish head followed by seasoning ingredients. Boil in medium heat for a while.
• Add in watercress, simmer for about 30 minutes.  Stir gently occasionally for fish head is not destroyed.  
• Serve hot.
  

Fried Fish With Tamarillo Sauce

Do you know this fruit? Its call Tamarillo (Cyphomandra betacea) or Tree Tomato Plant, in same family with the potato, tomato, eggplant and capsicum. It’s native to Central and South America. According to wikipedia Prior to 1967, the tamarillo was known as "tree tomato" in New Zealand, but a new name was chosen by the 'New Zealand Tree Tomato Promotions Council' in order to distinguish it from the ordinary tomato and increase its exotic appeal.  Nowadays it’s known as tamarillo in many country but still called Tree Tomato in most of the world.  Tamarillo rates highly as a source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants when compared to other common fruits and vegetables.

• Low in fat and hence calories
• Low in carbohydrates and the carbohydrate present is mainly in the form of fiber
• High in potassium but extremely low in sodium, which is a desirable balance for a healthy diet
• Contains other trace elements important for health, in particular copper and manganese
• Source of fiber
• Source of Vitamin A, B6 and C. Also contains Vitamin E and Thiamine

Here in Sabah it rarely found and only grow in the highland area surrounding the Mount Kinabalu.  Here we call it kambatus kayu (in English means tree tomato). It’s has a unique and exotic taste.  The flesh of the tamarillo is tangy and mildly sweet and may be compared to kiwifruit, tomato or passion fruit. The skin and the flesh near it have an unpleasant bitter taste. In my traditional dishes the raw tamarillo usually used in cooking taduk ( batang keladi masak asam), stir-fry with salted fish or anchovies and to make a pickle. The ripen one usually eaten fresh.  Inspired by the recipe I got from the internet, I manage to create my own simple tamarillo sauce using the ripe tamarillo.  Unique taste yet very delicious.

poor image ~ mobile upload

Fried Fish with Tamarillo Sauce

Ingredients:

1. Some fried fish 
2. 5 tamarillo
3. 1 red chili (sliced)
4. 2 garlic (mince)
5. 2tbsp tomato sauce
6. 2tbsp oyster sauce
7. 1tbsp sugar
8. 1tbsp pepper powder
9. 1tsp corn starch diluted in a little water

Methods:

• Make a small cross in the bottom of each tamarillo with a sharp knife.  Dip the tamarillos into hot boiling water about a minute to easily peel off the skin.
• Remove seeds and finely chopped.
• Stir-fry minced garlic until fragrant.  
• Stir in chopped tamarillo and cook gently for about 2 minute.
• Add in sliced red chili, tomato sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and pepper powder.  Stir until well combined.
• Thicken the sauce by a little corn starch water.
• Pour the sauce over the fried fish.  Ready to serve.

Fried Fish with Tamarillo Sauce

Fish Soup with Sarawak Sour Eggplant

My Sarawakian Chinese neighbor is very pleased to give me some Sarawak sour eggplant.  She told me that the eggplant is really tasty to cook as soup with fresh fish.  Excited and can't wait to try, I take the eggplant without long-winded question and cook it as recommended. But... I was a kind of shocked. For the first time my cooking is really not to be as desired. There was kind of unpleasant smell and the taste is so weird (because the sarawak eggplant is a bit hard and taste different from the regular eggplant). I feel a bit guilty to throw away a pot of fish soup. Nobody is interested to eat it...  :(

Sarawak Sour Eggplant

Still not satisfied with the incident, I decided to ask for the actual recipe from my neighbor. I was lucky that I still keep one of the eggplant.  According to her recipe, the eggplant is actually really suitable for cooking as soup.  But the eggplant should be cooked until completely tenderize and the fish should be fried first before mixed into the eggplant soup to remove it unpleasant fishy smell. By following the recipe given by my neighbors, eventually I managed to cook the delicious soup. It was very tasty with a slightly sour taste.  Here I feel glad to share this recipe, it's totally adapted from my neighbor’s recipe...

Fish Soup with Sarawak Sour Eggplant

Main ingredient:

1. 1 Sarawak sour eggplant (sliced and de-seeds)
2. 300 gm fresh fish (I use red mullet)

Pounded ingredients:

1. 1  garlic
2. 2 shallots
3. 1 Inc ginger
4. 2 red chilies
5. 2 stalks of lemongrass

Seasoning ingredients:

1. 1 tbsp salt
2. 1 tsp sugar
3. 1 tbsp tom yam paste

Cooking Method:

• Deep-fry the fresh fish in hot oil until well done.  Set aside.
• Stir fry pounded ingredients in 2 tbsp oil until fragrant.  Add about 750ml water and bring to boil.
• Enter the Sarawak sour eggplant and then cover the pot. Simmer until the eggplant is completely tenderize and skins nearly separated.
• Add in seasoning ingredients and mix well.
• Add in the fish; keep simmering for a little while.  Done
• Garnish with chopped scallions before serving.

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 *