Grilled pomfret with a spicy sambal

Ingredients :
2 pomfrets, 700 g
2 Tbs lime juice, 20 ml
2 tsp salt, 8 g (or to taste)
Charcoal, for grilling

Sambal :
3 Tbs cooking oil, 30 ml, for frying
5 red chillies, 50 g
1 tsp fried trassi, 5 g
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp limau lime juice
6 Tbs sweet soy sauce, 60 ml

Side dish :
100 g cucumber, cut into serving pieces
100 g cabbage, cut into serving pieces
5 kemangi leaves
2 red tomatoes, 200 g, cut into serving pieces
150 g petai beans, fried with sin (optional)

Method :

1. Clean and scale fish, discard gills and intestines. Coat with lime juice and salt. Let stand for 15 minutes to marinate. Grill over charcoal until done and brownish. Set aside.
2. To make sambal : Stir fry red chillies until aromatic. Take from flame and drain. Make red chillies, trassi and salt into a paste. Add limau lime juice.
3. Serve grilled pomfret with sambal, sweet soy sauce, and side dish.

Note :
4 servings
Petai bean = sa-taw bean (parkia speciosa)

Source : Magazine Selera, June 1994

Ingredients :
10 tofu, 500 g
200 ml cooking oil, for frying
3 shallots, 30 g
2 cloves garlic, 10 g
2 red chillies, 20 g
25 g dried shrimp, soaked in hot water (optional)
10 g galangal
2 salam leaves
200 ml thick coconut milk
1 tsp salt, 4 g (or to taste)
1 tsp brown sugar, 5 g

Method :

1. Fry each tofu until half done. Remove from pan and drain.
2. Make shallots, garlic, red chillies, dried shrimp, and galangal into a paste. Fry until aromatic. Add salam leaves. Continue frying for some more minutes.
3. Pour in thick coconut milk. Season with salt and brown sugar, add fried tofu. Continue cooking until sauce thickens.

Note :
4 servings
For vegetarians dried shrimp can be ommitted

Source : Magazine Selera, February 1994

Ingredients :
480 g granulated sugar
400 ml water
3 Tbs margarine or butter, 60 g
4 eggs, 200 g
480 g wheat flour, sifted
2 tsp baking soda
125 ml chocolate condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla powder
a pinch of salt
1 Tbs margarine or butter, 20 g, for brushing
1 Tbs wheat flour, 10 g, for dusting

Method :

1. To make caramel : put granulated sugar into a frying pan over a very low heat, stirring continuously until it forms a caramel. Pour ini water little at a time and continue cooking until sugar is dissloved. Add margarine or butter, mix well. Remove from flame and let cool thoroughly.
2. Beat egg whites until whitish. Add wheat flour, baking soda, chocolate condensed milk, vanilla powder, and salt. Mix with mixture of Step 1.
3. Take a suitable cake form, grease with margarine or butter and dust with wheat flour. Pour in batter of Step 2. Bake until done and brownish.

Note :
18 servings

Source : Magazine Selera, February 1994

The West Sumatra style

Ingredients :
1 kg red snapper fish head
2 Tbs lime juice, 20 ml
1 tsp salt, 4g (or to taste)
10 shallots, 100 g
4 cloves garlic, 20 g
6 red chillies, 60 g
5 tiny chillies
10 g turmeric
10 g ginger
2 Tbs cooking oil, 20 ml, for frying
5 blades lemon grass, each 25 cm, bruised
3 asam kandis, leave whole
10 kemangi leaves
2 turmeric leaves
600 ml thick coconut milk
1 tsp salt, 4 g (or to taste)

Method :

1. Scale fish, discard gills and clean fish head. Coat with lime juice and salt. Let stand for 15 minutes to marinate.
2. Make shallost, garlic, red chillies, tiny chillies, turmeric, and ginger into a paste. Stir fry until aromatic, add lemon grass, asam kandis, kemangi leaves, turmeric leaves, and pour in coconut milk. Let come to a boil whils stirring.
3. Add fish head and season with salt. Continue cooking until fish head is done and sauce thickens. Garnish to your liking.

Note :
4 servings

Source : Magazine Selera, October 1994

The Aceh way

Ingredients :
1 kg red snapper fish head
2 Tbs lime juice, 20 ml
100 g shallots
6 cloves garlic, 30 g
5 red chillies, 50 g
5 tiny chillies
10 g turmeric
20 g ginger
15 g galangal
1 tsp ground coriander, 5 g
1 tsp ground cumin, 3 g
1 tsp ground pepper, 3 g (or to taste)
1 tsp ground cardamon
2 asam sunti or 2 Tbs lime juice, 20 ml
1 star anise
2 Tbs cooking oil, 20 ml, for stir frying
4 red chillies, 40 g, leave whole
4 green chillies, 40 g, leave whole
5 curry leaves
2 turmeric leaves
800 ml thick coconut milk
1 tsp salt, 4 g (or to taste)

Method :

1. Scale fish, discard gills and clean fish head. Coat with lime juice. Let stand for 15 minutes to marinate.
2. Make shallots, garlic, red chillies, tiny chillies, turmeric, ginger, galangal, coriander, cumin, pepper, cardamon, asam sunti and star anise into a paste. Stir fry until aromatic, add red chillies, green chillies, curry leaves, and turmeric leaves. Pour in coconut milk and season with salt.
3. Add fish head and continue cooking until done and sauce thickens.

Note : 4 servings

Source : Selera Magazine, October 1994