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I took part in an impromptu cookery class while sailing through Indonesia, and learned how to make this tasty soup/stew. There were about 20 of us crammed into the living room of a local English teacher's house. Three small burners sat on the floor, fired by parafin, with various pots and woks simmering and steaming - the heat was quite intense, and our eyes watered from the fumes of the parafin. But the resulting dishes were so tasty, bursting with flavour from ingredients bought fresh from the market that morning. SERVES 4 Preparation Time: 10 Minutes |
| 1 lb white fish, plus the head | 1 stalk lemongrass |
| 5 belimbin (or star fruit) | Sea salt |
| 5 cloves garlic | 2 long red chillies |
| 5 shallots | 1 tblsp turmeric |
Roughly chop the tomatoes, shallots and belimbin (looks like an oval lime, but tastes like star fruit).
Finely chop the garlic and ginger. Cut the lemongrass stalk into several pieces. Slice the red chillies, removing the seeds if you don't want your soup too hot.
Put all the above ingredients into a large pan of boiling water. Chop the fish into large chunks and add, along with the head, which gives the broth more flavour. Add the turmeric and a large pinch of sea salt, stir well, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add a teaspoon of sugar, stir until dissolved.
It is now ready to serve.