Here in California we had freezing weather about a week ago -- very unusual for us -- which froze pipes and destroyed much of the state's citrus crops. My garden did not escape the carnage and sad to say there has been little produce as a result. I did however manage to gather together enough chilli peppers and kaffir lime leaves to bring this meal together: Pepes Ikan Bumbu Merah, or Spicy Fish Baked in a Banana Leaf.
1. I began by preparing a "candlenut" chili paste -- I say "candlenut" because these are unavailable here so I substituted almond slivers instead. This is a mixture of 1/2 lb chili peppers, 1 1/4 oz shallots, 1 1/4 oz garlic cloves, and 1 1/4 oz candlenuts. (The traditional method is to gring them using a stone mortar but I use a food processor instead.) Mix in 1 tsp shrimp paste, 1 1/4 salt, 1 1/2 tsp sugar. Set aside.
2. Prepare the fish by crisscrossing it with a knife. Marinate the fish with the candlenut paste for one hour, making sure the paste is massaged into the cuts.
3. Clean some banana leaves and slightly oil them. Place the fish into the banana leaf, topping the fish off with some sliced lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Using toothpicks on either end of secure the banana leaves tightly. Preheat oven to 400F and bake for 25 minutes. Drip on some lime juice before serving.
I really enjoyed this one. Surprisingly, I didn't find it spicy it all -- the sugar seems to cut through the spice and render's this bumbu into more of a mellow curry. The lime juice at the end however keeps it zesty and sassy, which is exactly the type of dish I was craving. Yum!
Readers: please let me know if I spelled this dish correctly! Also, can you tell me if this is Indonesian or Malay? Thanks. In the meantime, some funky Indonesian-Living-In-France music for you:
Comments
u spelled it correctly. congrats! :p
and im not sure its Indonesian or Malay, but according to the word 'bumbu', i guess its Indonesian. but ive seen this dish in Malay restaurant though.
Posted by: lestat | January 29, 2007 05:51 AM
OK, this looks REALLY good right now. Two questions:
1. What kind of chili peppers did you use? Fresh, I assume? Half pound is kind of a lot, and I can't imagine using something fiery like serranos for that, so I'm curious.
2. Did you use fresh banana leaves, or did you buy dried ones from a grocery and soak them or something?
Posted by: kusala | January 29, 2007 04:10 PM
Lestat: thanks a lot for spell-checking me! I was guessing it was Indonesian too from the "bumbu" part.
Kusala: I used Korean chili peppers which is what I grow in my yard. They are medium spicy during this season but can get fiery during other periods. I think any type of chili would work here depending on one's heat tolerance. One thing I do is if the recipe is too large, break things down into percentages: 1/4 part this and 1/4 part that. It's easier than doing the math, and who needs math in cooking. I'm against it, personally. :-) Oh, I used frozen banana leaves. (Bananas grow here during the summer season just fine but the desert temperatures dip too low in winter, so it's impossible to get the fresh type locally. Boohoo! One day I'll make it back to the tropics and I'll them fresh, I'm convinced.) Frozen ones can be used just by soaking or running under warm water.
Posted by: Evil Jonny | January 29, 2007 05:36 PM
Wow, it is a very interesting dish! You are a real epicurean. :) From its looks, it can pass for Korean food. ;)
Posted by: sue | January 29, 2007 07:02 PM
Sue: Hmm, maybe this is why I like it so much. :-) Actually there's a bit of Korea in there -- I used Korean chili peppers from my garden!
Posted by: Evil Jonny | January 30, 2007 12:50 PM
Awww I'm so sorry to hear that your garden fell victim to the frost :( I hope more than the kaffir lime leaves and peppers were salvaged, and that you don't have to start over! Thanks for this recipe, though -- I have some frozen cod that I can't get rid of for lack of inspiration, and I might try this out!
Posted by: bananafish | February 1, 2007 01:12 PM
annie: the clip that you show us in this page... her name is anggun.c shes indo/dutch (mix)..not malay... she grow up in LA and France thats y shes singin french songs.
Posted by: Annie | February 1, 2007 08:31 PM
My goodness you've got me salivating at 2.35am!
If not mistaken, in Malaysia we have something similar but it's called 'ikan bakar'.
Another favourite of mine is the Nyonya Dish called 'Otak-otak', it has coconut milk and different types of fish.
Posted by: Cheryl | February 8, 2007 06:30 PM
Hi, I stumbled upon this site and in answer to the person who posted the Ikan Pepes, it is an Indonesian dish. However, my main reason for posting here is to inform you that you can get candlenuts in California. Go to an Asian supermarket and look for it under the Malaysian/Indonesian food aisle.
If you need more information, email me.
Also wondering if anyone knows where to get limau kesturi, which is a lime the size of a quarter.
Posted by: Lost July | February 10, 2007 12:11 PM
Hi Lost:
I believe limau kesturi is the same as calamondin or calamansi. I have one growing in my yard because they are impossible to find around here. I got mine at 99 Market in Irvine.
Yeah, I know you can get them in bigger cities but I live out in the desert. No way of getting candlenuts for a couple hundred miles at least!
Posted by: Evil Jonny | February 10, 2007 01:34 PM
Hi Jonny,
In the desert huh? High or low? If you really want some candlenut, I'll be happy to help you get some.
As for limau kesturi, its common name is musklime. Here's a link with a picture of it. http://susanchuasg.googlepages.com/limau_kesturi.html
If its the same, can you please tell me where you got your plant?
Thanks.
Posted by: Lost July | February 10, 2007 05:45 PM
Hi Lost: I love in the low desert.
Yeah, limau kesturi is the same as kalamansi lime / Calamondin. I got mine at 99 Market in Irvine. They sell some plants in the front area right when you walk in.
Posted by: Evil Jonny | February 10, 2007 08:08 PM
The singer is Anggun C. Sasmi. She currently lives in France with her French hubby. I got her mp3. Her songs are unique compared to other Indonesian artist.
Posted by: Yuli | February 18, 2007 10:18 PM
Yes, you spell correctly.
And Pepes Ikan Bumbu Merah is actually from Indonesia, precisely from West Java Province.
Almost every house at this province serve this Pepes Ikan. But if you go to Malay restaurant sometimes they can have this too. Both countries almost have similar food.
And this recipe looks very good.
Posted by: Nunks | April 17, 2007 11:28 PM
From the name pepes, it's Indonesian. As Yuli said, it's a dish from West Java province, while it is called for brengkesan in East Java province
Posted by: Pepy | November 25, 2007 05:44 PM
Pepes is originally from Indonesia, west java especially.
But these days many Indonesian food acclaimed by Malay (which is upsetting many Indonesian ofcourse).
Posted by: mirqee | January 6, 2008 01:02 PM
This looks really good!
Tho' the original version doesn't look as red as this, more yellowish.
Candlenut is actually an Asian species of Macadamia.
Fish fillets can also be used. And I have eaten this dish made with prawns instead - just as delicious!
Posted by: oldhen | January 12, 2008 03:01 AM
This is an Indonesian food!
I'm an Indonesian, by the way. And this recipe can be modified by changing fish into cuttlefish, shrimp, or even clams.
You can also cooked it by steaming first, then after it's 3/4 cooked, grilled it. It works ok. :)
Posted by: Resha | February 9, 2008 01:22 PM
Man that the photo is great. Got me hungry. Try it with mackerel, my favourite flavourful fish. OK, as an Indonesian born living in Canada, my dad used to make this for me when I was a kid and I loved it. Ikan=fish pepes=banana leaf steaming, bumbu=spice paste/seasoning/marinade usually contains the crushed chillies as a base merah=red
Posted by: Chris | November 22, 2008 01:56 PM