PICE

Serves 4–6

This spicy dish is unique as wolf herring is first marinated with chilli paste, then wrapped with Chinese cabbage leaves and boiled in the soup. My dad used to fry pork lard and add it to this soup as a crispy and flavourful garnish. Patah chilli is a simple condiment made with lime juice, soy sauce and chillies, and it goes well as a dip for the fish parcels.

Wolf herring (ikan parang) 6 fillets, each
about 100 g (3½ oz), washed and cleaned

Green Chinese cabbage 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz),
leaves separated

Cooking oil 2 Tbsp
Water 1 litre (32 fl oz / 4 cups)
Light soy sauce 2 Tbsp
Chicken stock cube 1

Chilli Paste

Dried chillies 100 g (3½ oz), cut into
short sections and soaked for 10 minutes,
seeds removed

Candlenuts 2
Salt ½ tsp

Patah Chilli

Limes 2, juice extracted
Dark soy sauce 6 Tbsp
Red chillies 2

1.   Prepare chilli paste. Pound or grind dried chillies together with candlenuts and salt
into a paste.

2.   Rub each piece of fish with 1 Tbsp chilli paste and leave for 10 minutes. Set remaining
chilli paste aside.

3.   Wrap each piece of fish with 2–3 cabbage leaves and set aside. Slice remaining
cabbage leaves into smaller pieces.

4.   Prepare patah chilli. Mix lime juice and soy sauce in a small bowl, then break chillies
into bowl. Set aside.

5.   Heat oil in a wok. Add chilli paste and fry until oil rises. Add water, soy sauce and
chicken stock cube and bring to the boil. Add fish parcels and cabbage leaves.

6.   Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes until cabbage is tender and fish is cooked.
Remove from heat.

7.   Dish out and garnish with deep-fried pork lard if desired. Serve hot with patah chilli
on the side.

NOTE

•  Scalding the cabbage leaves with hot water will soften them and make wrapping the fish easier.

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EURASIAN HERITAGE

Cooking