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Jakarta Post

Fish on the menu

Surrounded by waters with abundant platters, we were served with several varieties of fish at the restaurant

The Jakarta Post
Sun, August 1, 2010

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Fish on the menu

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urrounded by waters with abundant platters, we were served with several varieties of fish at the restaurant. There was ikan presto, in which fish are cooked until the bones are soft and edible. Then there was ikan pindang.

Ikan pindang is mostly made from salt water fish such as kembung or fish from brackish ponds like the more expensive and delicate-tasting ikan bandeng (milkfish). The pindang preparation is also called "wet preservation".

After being covered with coarse salt, instead of being dried under the sun, the fish is cooked in water over a very low flame until the liquid is completely absorbed. Ikan pindang is a typical coastal dish.

People in West Java add yeast to the salt to quicken the softening of the fish bones. Salam leaves (Eugenia polyantha) are put at the inside the pot, which is usually earthenware. Ikan pindang is delicious with crudit*s and a hot, hot sambal (chili sauce)!

There is another preparation for cheaper fish, such as ikan kembung, a delicacy known as ikan peda. Some of the best ikan peda comes from North Sumatra and ones produced in Medan is probably the best.

To make ikan peda, fish are cleaned and then thoroughly salted. They are not dried. They are left to ferment to produce a specific smell. The ikan peda is fried before consumption. The peda process can be made from ikan pelagig besa (surface-dwelling fish) such as sardines or the smaller ikan selar.

Nowadays, the species are also available in cans with various spice combinations such as sweet gulai ikan or tomato-based sardine sause tomat.

Some fish are better when steamed, while others are better fried or grilled. One special fish is the tengiri, or Spanish mackerel, which can be fried, steamed, mashed into delicate baso ikan (fishballs) or grilled.

Tengiri is a salt water fish found in nearly all Indonesian waters. One fishmonger gives a tip how to choose a good tengiri. First, he said, the fish must be very shiny and smooth when they're cut into portions. Usually, fresh blood will flow from its dorsal bone. When pressed, the meat will spring up again. The fish eyes are usually clear and, last but not least, the skin must look fresh and the gills red but does not smell.

Ikan tengiri is typically made into a gulai or a sweet sourish dish. "When you want simple fried tengiri be sure to marinate the fish in a marinade of lemon juice or tamarind juice", the fishmonger advised, "and when frying, let the oil be truly hot!"

Cirebon in West Java or Palembang in South Sumatra, which are both famous for kerupuk (fish crackers), use tengiri.

Palembang's famous fish cakes, or pempek, are made from the local fresh water fish ikan belida, but the fish has vanished due to environmental degradation. Tengiri has been subsituted because the texture and taste are similar. Fish crackers from Bangka also use tengiri.

In many regions where steaming is favored, fresh water fish are used. Why? Their texture is softer. Fresh water fish also do not have a fishy aftertaste, though when they are not thoroughly cleaned a bit of an earthy taste remains. Many people consider the earthy taste unique to fresh water fish.

Fish which are good for steaming are also good for traditional banana leaf preparation such as botok, a mixture of grated young coconut fishmeat and spices or pepes.

Famous pepes preparations are found in Cianjur and Majalaya, West Java, where fresh water carp, also called ikan mas (goldfish), are cultivated in large ponds.

The Majalaya method focuses on the natural taste of the fresh water carp and does not use many herbs or species. Some spicies are finely ground and others only finely sliced.

"The spices and herbs consist of shallots, leek, salam leaves, lemon grass, brown sugar, galangal, ginger, tamarind and salt", said a well-known Majalaya pepes maker.

The preparation includes wrapping in banana leaves and grilling over charcoal. As the pepes is unwrapped, very fragrant and herbal aroma will enhance your appetite.

For a delicious Bandeng Presto Saus Gurih (Preserved milk fish curry) one needs: 2 preserved milk fish (bandeng presto). Cut into serving pieces. Fry in 200 ml cooking oil until done and brownish. Drain. Finely grind 5 shallots, 4 garlic cloves, 4 red chilies, 10 grams turmeric, 10 grams ginger, and 10 grams galangal. Stir fry in 3 tbs remaining oil until aromatic. Add 20 cm bruised lemon grass, 2 salam leaves, 4 sourfruits (cut lengthwise) and pour in 500 ml thick coconut milk. Let come the a boil. Season with 1 tsp salt (or to taste), 1 tbs brown sugar, and 5 red tiny chilies. Continue cooking until sauce thickens. Serve fried fish with 400 g boiled papaya leaves and sauce. Makes 4 servings.

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