A Taste of Penang

We are settled in, kind of. I've unpacked the kitchen, and the rest of the house too -- sort of. My office is nearly together, and we now have internet at home, which means I can get back to spending time in this little space.

But it's late Friday afternoon and unlike in Kuala Lumpur, where we regularly worked until 8 or so, in Penang we make a point of enjoying our evenings. So I plan to close this computer while there is still light in the sky, take the dogs for a walk, and then kick back and contemplate dinner.

But first, one of the many reasons Penang agrees with us: ingredients. From fresh fruit to fish, they're on the whole spectacular here. We bought these fish 5 minutes by car from our house, at a roadside stall just 2 blocks from the little fishing boats that brought them in. Every day at 2pm the stall sets up, with some of the most beautiful, freshest seafood we've ever seen.

Did I mention that six of these beauties set us back the equivalent of only three-and-a-half US dollars?

We haven't bought charcoal for the grill yet, so after Dave cleaned the fish -- which taste something like mackerel, strong and oily and able to take assertive flavors, our favorite kind of fish -- I rubbed them, inside and out, with a fiery sambal made by a favorite Nyonya market vendor. I layed the chili-fied fish on a bed of cilantro leaves and stems and shredded green scallions spread over a lightly oiled piece of foil, squeezed over lime juice, and then tucked the spent lime quarters between them.

I placed a piece of foil over the top and secured the sides, leaving enough air for it to puff. And I cooked the fish for about 15 minutes. (This has become my fish preparation technique of choice lately, when I'm too lazy to get the bamboo steamer out of the cupboard.)

They turned out brilliantly, the sambal perfuming the fish's flesh and a nice little pool of fishy sambal juices under the wilted cilantro and scallions. And they're easy, something that would work well with shell-on prawns or squid or tuna or even salmon.

Making your own sambal is as simple as pounding (in a mortar) or blender-izing or food processor-izing: a handful of fresh small chilies, a bit of toasted (in the oven or on the stove-top, in a piece of foil) belacan or shrimp paste, garlic, salt and a bit of lime juice. It'll keep in the fridge for a couple weeks and is lovely stirred into wok-fried greens or just a mound of steaming plain rice.

Make your sambal strong and hot, because it will lose potency as it cooks into and over the fish.

Happy weekend!

 

Comments

[keropokman]

ah.. the fresh fish! from the fishing boat? My Penang friends never brought me to see the boats!

u need to grab some banana leaves from your garden or nab from your neighbour's.

use them instead of foil and they will taste and smell better :-p

[DangerousV]

Penang boy living in London. Would die for those fishes. Hungry now. This cold summer's morning is not helping at the moment.

[Todd Lowe]

Beautiful!

[Football Manager 2012]

They look very nice!

[Jen]

I'm salivating! Oh my, you've moved up north?! Good for you. Looks like I have a lot of catching-up reading to do!
Penang is a wonderful place to be in, the best throughout the entire country, IMO. Make sure you make time to trek to the mainland too.
Enjoy your stay in Penang and keep the posts coming!

[Teri Y]

You just inspired me to make this over the weekend.

Looks amazingly comforting eaten with steaming hot white rice...

[Marts Aziz]

Beautiful. That's how I cook my seafood too, quick and easy. I hope we get to read more entries from you since you have settled down there. :-D

[MK]

Wow...the sambal fish looks pretty inviting. What I need now is a plate of white rice and that is breakfast for me in cloudy London. Penang welcome Robyn, Dave and the dogs. Needless to add, your choice of Penang as your home speak for itself.
I don't suppose you can share the location of the roadside stall of the fishmonger? Can't seems to pinpoint the location.

[TJG]

Really fresh fish, cooked with aromats... amazing, really wish I could have had this one as a snack!

[Will]

From one person that spends way too much time in the kitchen to another, I'm definitely glad to see that you're back to posting. Fresh fish: One of the many advantages of SE Asia that I miss dearly.

Thanks for the easy sambal recipe.

[jodi]

glad to hear you're settling in. :)

[Anavar]

They look absolutely, spicy / hot /delicious.

Ana

[Snippets of Thyme]

I am just loving your blog!! Everything about it so interesting; I feel like I am escaping into your world for each post. Off to read more...

[Foodtopii]

Wow, talk about getting it straight from the source. It doesn't get fresher than that! I enjoyed this post, though I think adding some pictures of the actual stall would help me visualize the entire process.

[Bee]

I am so jealous Robyn...and glad that you're enjoying Penang and its fresh bounty. My sister told me all the 3 stalls are owned by the same fisherman...not sure if it's true. You mentioned lime in your post, did you get calamansi lime? Miss the tastes of home! :)

[shaun @ everybody loves ramen]

The other day when I read this post I started salivating!!
On the walk home from work I had to pop into the fish mongers and follow suit.
Delicious, healthy, fresh, easy, SAMBAL -- what more could you want?

[Happysurfer]

This type of fish (called kembong locally, but you already knew that) also comes salted in case you haven't come across them. They are just as nice this way - especially yummy with hot plain porridge (congee). Check with the fish vendor though they are sometimes available at supermarkets.

Hi! Came here from the newspaper article I read yesterday. Am surprised that you cook with belacan and you eat durian. You are more a Malaysian than some Malaysians. Enjoy Malaysia and now Penang!

[Linna]

There are still a lot of delicious food for you to explore in Penang! Great to know that you have settled down in this little island....Penang.