Recipe - Fried Whole Fish Nonya Style (Ikan Goreng Tau

Stephen Ceideburg
1 One half pound Whole Snapper, Rockfish,
Porgy, or similar fish
Salt
1 md Onion or One fourth pound shallots,
chopped
2 Cloves garlic, chopped
1 Stalk lemongrass, thinly
cut or sliced up
One half teaspoon Shrimp paste (optional)
3 Fresh red or green chiles,
seeds and veins removed,
chopped, or:
One half teaspoon Chili powder
2 sl Fresh galangal or 1 teaspoon
ground
1/3 cup (approximately) cornstarch
Oil, for deep frying
2 tablespoon Yellow bean sauce, mashed
1/3 cup Tamarind Water
1 pn Sugar
Fresh Basil for garnish

1. Prepare fish as directed below. Pat dry with paper towels, sprinkle
lightly with salt, and set aside.

2. In a mortar, food processor, or blender, combine onion, garlic,
lemongrass, shrimp paste (if used), chiles, and galangal and process to a
paste.

3. Pat fish dry again and dust liberally with cornstarch, rubbing it into
cuts in sides.

4. Fill a wok or deep skillet with oil to a depth of at least 2 inches
(allow room for oil to rise when fish is added). Heat oil to 375 degrees F.
Carefully add fish to oil, placing it on its side. Ladle oil over any
exposed part of fish. Fry fish on both sides, turning once with slotted
spoons or Chinese wire skimmer, until a skewer easily penetrates thickest
part. Lift fish out of oil and let drain over pan, then transfer to warm
serving platter.

5. Turn off heat under frying oil, allow to cool, and reserve for frying
fish another time. in another skillet or wok, heat 2 tablespoons oil over
medium heat (some of the frying oil can be used for this step). Add
seasoning paste and cook, stirring, until quite fragrant. Add yellow bean
sauce, cook another few seconds, and add Tamarind Water and sugar. Cook
sauce until slightly thickened.

6. Blot away any accumulated oil from fish platter and pour sauce over
fish. Garnish with sprigs of coriander, if desired.

Serves 4 with other dishes.

Like poultry, fish retains its flavor and moisture better if cooked whole
with the bones. To prepare a whole fish for frying or steaming, follow
these steps.

1. Have fish cleaned and scaled, with head and tail left on. Cut open bell
cavity, if this was not done in cleaning. Pull away any bits of gills and
internal organs. Look for two strips of red tissue lying alongside
backbone; if present, cut them open wit tip of knife. Rinse cavity well
under running water until no trace of bloody tissue remains.

2. Score both sides of fish with diagonal cuts almost to the bone, 1 to 2
inches apart. This speeds the cooking time and allows the seasonings to
penetrate the fish faster. if you want to serve a steamed or fried fish
@(swimming" on the platter (belly side down), cut back from cavity toward
tail on one side of bones, extending the cavity toward the tail. Spread the
rib cage open and arrange the fish upright on the steaming plate, bending
the tail to fit, if necessary.

From the California Culinary Academy's "Southeast Asian Cooking", Jay
Harlow, published by the Chevron Chemical Company, 1987. ISBN
0897210980.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini