PECEL LELE
INDONESIA
Indonesia is a collection of more than seventeen thousand islands. Wherever you go you will not be far from the water. When I traveled there, I visited several islands, with the most enchanting being Banda Neira, once a rich Dutch nutmeg outpost. There, I stayed in Tanya Alwi’s gorgeous if somewhat crumbling hotel, right on the water. Sadly, I spent only one night, and that evening there was no fish on the menu because Tanya had organized a goat feast for me. But my first meal in Indonesia, straight off the plane, was at a wonderful fish restaurant in Jakarta. I can’t remember if I had the fried fish (for which I give a recipe below) that night, but I remember that one of my favorite dishes that evening was pomfret cooked in a delectable spicy sauce with stinky beans, which look like green colored almonds and taste a bit like fresh almonds. It was a totally new ingredient to me, like so many others on that trip. Unfortunately, you cannot find it easily abroad so I am not giving a recipe for that fish dish, whereas you can make the one below easily without having to source any special ingredients.
SERVES 4
FOR THE FRIED FISH
4 whole red snappers (10½ ounces/300 g each), gutted and rinsed, slashed across on the diagonal on both sides at two or three intervals
Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
Sea salt
FOR THE CHILI SAMBAL
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 medium tomatoes (7 ounces/200 g total), quartered
1 medium red bell pepper, quartered
3 mild red chilies, trimmed but not seeded
1 bird’s eye chili, seeded and quartered
4 cloves garlic
10 small shallots (7 ounces/200 g total), halved
6 blanched almonds
1 inch (2.5 cm) fresh turmeric, minced to a fine paste
Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
Sea salt
TO FINISH
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced crosswise
Cucumber, thinly sliced
Onion, sliced thinly into rings
Leaves from a few sprigs basil
White rice or Indonesian Fried Rice, for serving
1. To prepare the fish: Pat the snapper dry with paper towels. Then mix the lemon juice, coriander, garlic, and salt to taste. Rub the marinade into the fish. Let sit while you prepare the sambal.
2. To make the chili sambal: Put a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Drizzle a little oil over the bottom and when the oil is hot, add the tomatoes, bell pepper, chilies, garlic, shallots, and almonds. Stir the ingredients until softened and slightly colored, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a food processor. Add the turmeric, lemon juice, and salt to taste and process until almost completely pulverized.
3. To finish: Wipe the pan clean, put 3 tablespoons oil in it, and return to medium heat. Pour the sambal into the pan and let it bubble until it thickens slightly, stirring regularly, 7 to 10 minutes. Take off the heat.
4. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Pour 2 inches (5 cm) oil into a large deep skillet and heat over medium heat until hot—test by dropping a piece of bread in it; if the oil immediately bubbles around the bread, it is ready. Slide the fish into the oil and fry 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until the skin is crisp and the flesh is just cooked. Remove to the wire rack to drain off any excess oil.
5. To serve, alternate the slices of tomato, cucumber, and onion all around the edge of a serving platter. Arrange the fried fish in the center and sprinkle basil leaves over the salad garnish. Serve immediately with the sambal and white rice or fried rice.