FISH stuffed with sambal is a popular dish at many Malay food stalls.
Some Nyonya restaurants also have their own versions of this dish, usually including kaffir lime leaves in the seasoning.
The fish used for this dish is almost invariably the local cencaru, or hardtail scad, also named torpedo scad or hardtail mackerel.
The ideal length of fish for this dish is about 30cm, although larger fish may sometimes be available at the market.
Cencaru sumbat sambal may be served hot or cold, but it is best enjoyed with steaming hot white rice. — Photos ART CHEN/The Star
When blending the sambal paste, avoid adding water so that it dries quickly when sauteing. Instead, use some of the oil allocated for sauteing the spices, to help lubricate it in the food processor.
This recipe, taken from our Kuali archives, will yield enough sambal paste to generously fill the pockets made in the back of five fish as well as in their stomach cavities.
Many types of fish may be used to stuff with sambal, but cencaru is a favourite because of the firmness of its flesh and good flavour.
My first encounter with this dish was when my aunt prepared it for us at our home.
While most cooks would fry the fish directly in the oil, she used banana leaf to line the pan before frying.
The banana leaf not only imparts a distinctive aroma to the fish, it also helps create a non-stick barrier to keep the sambal from coming into direct contact with the pan and burning.
Saute the sambal paste in oil until dry and aromatic, then stir in the seasoning of tamarind juice, sugar, fish sauce and kaffir lime leaves.
I recommend frying the fish sambal-side down at the start to seal in the sambal before flipping it to sear the sides.
I would also replace the squares of banana leaves frequently, to keep them from burning excessively.
Try to scoop out any charred sambal that has leaked from the fish.
This recipe should yield enough sambal to stuff the pockets along the backbone as well as the cavities of five fish.
This dish can be served hot or cold, but it’s best enjoyed with steaming hot white rice.
Cencaru sumbat
Ingredients5 pieces hardtail scad (ikan cencaru)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 banana leaf
½ cup cooking oil for fryingSambal paste12 bulbs shallots
3 cloves garlic
12 pods red chillies
5 pods dried chillies, soaked
1 stalk lemongrass, finely sliced
20g galangal, sliced
20g dried prawns, rinsed
1 tsp belacan, toasted
4 tbsp cooking oilSeasoning1 tbsp tamarind pulp, soaked
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely julienned
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp sugarDirectionsClean the fish and slit it along both sides of the backbone, creating pockets for the sambal stuffing.
Rub salt and pepper all over the fish, then set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
Blend the sambal ingredients in a food processor into a paste.
Heat oil in a non-stick saucepan and sauté the spice paste until dry and aromatic.
Stir in the seasoning and set aside to cool.
Stuff the sambal paste into the pockets and cavities of the fish.
Heat oil in a wok until hot, and then place a square of banana leaf into the wok before laying the fish on top.
Fry the fish over the leaf until fully cooked, replacing the leaf when necessary while frying in batches.
Remove the fish from the oil and serve immediately.
