Friday, March 12, 2010

Ikan Sumbat, Spice Stuffed Mackeral


I decided to go down the Malaysian path since there was still quite a bit of chicken curry left from the previous night. A favourite childhood dish of mine, I remember very vividly how I would demand 3 fish just for myself :) You may use the paste for a larger fish and bake it in the oven or grill over the bbq. 
There will be a few more Malaysian dishes on the way so stay tuned. I served this dish with a delicious spicy sweet soy dipping sauce (sambal kecap) - for the recipe click HERE.
P.S Sardine can be a great substitute.

serves 4 as part of a Malaysian meal
you'll need;
5 mackeral, gutted and made a few slits on each side of the fish
10 dried chilies, soaked in hot water til soften, seeds removed
10 candle nuts, chopped (brazil nuts and macadamia nuts are good substitute)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lemon grass, chopped
3 tbs of tamarind paste
a small piece of shrimp paste, toasted (best wrap it in foil and toast over an open flame)
salt to taste

Pound all spices til you get a fine paste, add in the tamarind paste and season with salt.



Stuff spice paste into all cavities and cuts of the fish.



Fry fish in batches til golden.


Serve immediately as part of a Malaysian meal.

I normally serve this wth sambal kecap.

49 comments:

  1. This recipe looks awesome! I love mackerel, and this looks like a great sauce to pair with it.

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  2. Hey buddy you are using a lot of chilies these days :) Looks like a very delicious dish, what type of dry chilies do I get? Cheers buddy!

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  3. I'm looking forward to more Malaysian dishes!

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  4. This must be good for people that find mackeral too fishy, I certainly will be making this! And that sauce that I have been dreaming about last night lol

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  5. I have never had anything but canned makeral...that is probably why I didn't like it. I will have to try it fresh...your recipe.

    p.s.
    Beautiful presentation with the fern leaves.

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  6. SEDAP lah! Yesterday I made nasi lemak rice, and just fried some ikan kuning with turmeric powder & salt. Next time I will try your style. :)

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  7. I must confess I have never cooked mackeral before, now I know I must try this dish and a chance to make the dipping sauce too!

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  8. OMG u are really making me hungry! I love the food u cook everytime...right up my alley...o dear m so craving ..honestly. :)

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  9. I am loving your Malaysian week! I think I'll be using mackeral for the first time soon! Great looking dish btw!

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  10. Oh this is my favourite too, even I had taken lunch now, but I still feel hungry, hahaha..Well done.

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  11. Fresh Local and Best,
    Thank you! I am glad you like mackeral too, it is way under rated.

    fitzboy,
    Haha buddy I'll come by and pick some! thanks! :)

    Kenny,
    On the way.

    rosa ,
    Absolutely! Let me know how it goes!

    Bo,
    Oh you must try fresh mackeral, I think they should be eaten more. Thank you :)

    Ju ,
    Terima kasihlah! Now I'm craving for nasi lemak, luckily I made a big batch of sambal tumis last night :)

    darren ,
    Please to! :)

    zurin ,
    Haha thank you very much! Haven't you had lunch yet? :)

    CW ,
    Thank you! I'm so glad to hear quite of few of you are going to try cooking mackeral for the first time :) More Malaysian dishes in the next few days :)

    Sonia
    Thank you! I like cooking all these childhood dishes. :)

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  12. this is one of my all time favorite dish!!

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  13. Woooow....uuummmmmhhhh....delicious recipe!
    Kiss.

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  14. Oh I am homesick every time I visit when you blog about Malaysian food! You were quite a greedy boy when you were young then? :)

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  15. This recipe sounds gr888!!!Mackeral is one of my fav fish...really want 2 try this one..Tnx 4 sharing

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  16. Oh...this reminds me my grandma cooked this with sambal chilli suffed inside the fish stomach and pan fried it. You're really a good cook ;DD

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  17. This is delicious with rice. I always go for this when I visit a Malay stall. I'm not too sure whether I can get this fish here. Maybe I can cook it with salmon or cod.

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  18. yum yum yum yum!! I love dishes like that. We make it quite a lot at home too. heavenly!

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  19. I am so excited about all the Malaysian food you are putting up, something I am not very familiar with. This is a wonderful dish and I can't wait to try this together with the sauce.

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  20. petite nyonya ,
    Oh this is such a familiar dish to so many :)

    Amanda ,
    Thank you! Kisses

    KL girl in MELB,
    Oh I'm sorry for causing you miss home! I was indeed!

    sangi ,
    Thank you! I'm surprise so many people actually like mackeral.

    Anncoo ,
    Oh thank you very much! You must have learnt so much from her!

    Mary,
    I think trout can be nice, sardine too.

    penny,
    Thank you! Such a nice everyday dish :)

    shanshan ,
    I am so glad to hear this! I hope you'll try the recipes, Malaysian food is rather underrated in this country.

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  21. This sounds delicious! I love mackeral and this recipe is perfect! Great presentation!

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  22. Ummm, yummy yummy. Looks like you are all putting good use of that mortar and pestle. Looks like a spicy, heavenly fish. Love the presentation.

    BTW, You have an award waiting at my blog. Dunno if awards are your thing..but you were remembered when i decided to pass it forward. :)

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  23. ça a l'air délicieux j'adore les sauces malaises
    bonne journée

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  24. It looks wonderful! I think I would go for 3 fish for myself too! I like it spicy!

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  25. The mackerel looks amazing stuffed with the flavorful spice paste!

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  26. I'll have to special order the mackerel, but your recipe sounds amazing and really worth searching out the ingredients needed to make it. I love the spice paste that you've used and will do my best to recreate this lovely recipe.

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  27. With the sambal kecap... double the spice.. heheh ;)

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  28. awesome love fish have a great weekend Rebecca

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  29. Wow! I'm drooling over here. Those fried mackeral look mouthwatering..:)

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  30. Ce plat de poisson doit être délicieux.
    Bon weekend.

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  31. Pam,
    Thank you! I hope you will give it a try!

    Cool Lassi(e),
    Haha very much so :) Thank you very much :)

    Fimère ,
    Mercy! :)

    Lyndsey ,
    Haha I was a little greedy :) Thank you!

    5 Star Foodie,
    Thank you very much!

    Mary,
    Oh thank you! I hope it is worth the effort of ordering the fish specially for this :)

    mycookinghut ,
    Haha I know :)

    Rebecca,
    Thank you! You too!

    kothiyavunu,
    Thank you very much!

    Bit of Butter said...
    Terima kasih banyak banyak! :)

    Saveurs et Gourmandises,
    Merci! :)

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  32. I am not a big fan of mackeral but really keen on the idea of using the paste for a bbq fish!

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  33. ooooooooo.... looks very spicy hehe!

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  34. This is one of my favourite dish. How do you get rid of the sambal smell from your kitchen?
    Neighbours complain?

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  35. Oh fish! I love fish! This looks delicious! Can I come over and have some?? :)

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  36. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  37. I guess you need to prepare another batch of this stuffed mackeral....we all want to come over!

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  38. we are off to the Blue Ginger tonight darling! does that reminds you of a certain someone lol. We wish you are here with us tonight! I can't wait to eat this dish again!!!
    Sophia xxx

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  39. mackerel is a very popular fish in france so Yumm for your recipe !! Cheers form Pierre the french foodie

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  40. I wish I had brought back some tamarind paste from Penang.

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  41. Been a long long long long time since I have had this fish. So yummy!

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  42. Sook,
    Haha anytime :)

    Angie,
    I think I better get to the market soon!

    Sophia darling, don't be naughty! I can't believe you still remember that! I am craving for some good nyonya food here. Me too, will see you guys soon! xxx

    pierre,
    Thank you! I am glad to know it is popular in France, it is quite under rated elsewhere.

    TasteHongKong,
    Oh they do have the best belacan in Penang!

    tigerfish,
    Haha you must make some soon!

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  43. Been away for the last few days, great to be greeted by this delicious looking dish!

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  44. 大肥,
    謝謝!:)

    Yasmin,
    Haha glad you like this, thank you!

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  45. Hi, where do you normally buy the candle nut?

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    Replies
    1. most good Asian grocers stock them. try the dried goods section.

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  46. Thank you, will make and send to my Malaysian Sister in Law

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