What is for dinner tonight, ladies? I consider myself very lucky because I have a cookbook called “The Indonesian Kitchen”. Of course, as a cooking dummy I always choose an easy recipe to follow. For tonight I’ll be cooking a dish called Ikan Kecap (Indonesian Soy Sauce Fish). Doesn’t it sound yummy, ladies? It does and I hope that I’ll get it right. This recipe serves 4 person and takes 20 minutes to prepare and another 20 minutes to cook.
What you need
- 1 pound mackerel
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 – 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 large lettuce leaves
- 0,5 teaspoon shrimp paste
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 1 large clove garlic (minced)
- 1,5 inch long piece fresh ginger (peeled and chopped)
- 1 red chili (seeded and chopped)
What to do
- Wash your mackerel under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Cut your mackerel fillets into 2 x 3 inch pieces.
- Mix salt and flour in a shallow bowl, roll your mackerel fillets in the flour one by one, and set them on a clean plate.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil in a skillet and fry your mackerel for 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- Place them on a plate, cover with foil to keep warm and set aside.
- Mix shrimp paste and 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl.
- Clean and dry the skillet before heating the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil.
- Add onion, garlic, ginger, and chili pepper and stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
- Add shrimp paste to your onion mixture and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add lemon juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce to taste. Stir them to combine.
- Arrange lettuce leaves on four plates and place fish on top.
- Finally, pour the sauce over the fish and serve.
Have a great spring weekend and bon apetit!
