Ikan Keli Masak Lemak Cili Api Simple
Catfish in coconut milk, or known as Ikan Keli Masak Lemak Cili Api is a popular Malay dish that never fail to impress me. It is easy to make and you only need a few basic ingredients to cook the dish. The catfish is fried or smoked before added into the prepared coconut gravy. The gravy for this dish does not contains onion or garlic, and it needs only six basic ingredients - bird's eye chilies, lemongrass, turmeric, coconut milk, tamarind slice and salt.
The gravy is rich in flavor and simmered until thick before the fried catfish is added into it. The combination of the coconut gravy and the catfish bring out a-good-to-be-true aroma and subtle flavor.
The dish, as I mentioned before, is pretty simple and easy to make. But, here's come the challenge - frying the catfish. Isn't it the same as frying other fish? You might asked. Yes, practically frying catfish is the same as frying other fish. But why it becomes a challenge, then?
If you're familiar of cleaning catfish before, you'll notice that catfish has slimy substance that coating it's body, unlike the other types of fish. The slime is secreted by the fish that serves as healing properties against minor injuries. The slime need to be removed during cleaning the fish to avoid oil from splattering too much during the frying process.
But the thing is, the slime cannot simply be removed when you just wash the fish with tap water. Usually, people use lemon and salt, scrubbed all over the fish to remove the slime. The juice will bind with the slimy substance when it comes in contact with the catfish, thus, it can easily be removed.
For me, I used to use lime water (air kapur) to clean all my seafoods, catfish included, whenever I run out of food wash solution at home. I use CNI food wash, it is a versatile food wash solution that you can use for cleaning veggies, fruits as well as meats and seafoods. The food wash solution not only removes pesticides, it also keep the food fresh.
Another tips to avoid oil from splattering too much when you fry the catfish are first, pat dry the fish after cleaning with kitchen papers before seasoning the fish with turmeric and salt. You can also coat the fish with rice or corn flour, not only it helps to avoid oil from splattering during frying, coating the fish with flour will also makes your fried catfish crispier.
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This recipe is almost similar to my previous ikan keli masak lemak's recipe, the only difference is that, I added turmeric leaf in my previous recipe. Since I did not make plan to make the masak lemak earlier, that's why I didn't buy turmeric leaves.
This masak lemak is absolutely delicious and mouthwatering even without the addition of turmeric leaf. It definitely enhance the aroma of the masak lemak, but the gravy is already rich and flavorful enough from the lemongrass, turmeric, bird's eye chilies and coconut milk. You should give this recipe a try if you love to enjoy fish cooked in coconut milk.
Happy cooking!
CATFISH IN COCONUT MILK
Category : Lauk Pauk
Preparation Time : 15 minutes
Cooking Time : 20 minutes
Serving Size : 2 people
INGREDIENTS
Fried Catfish :
2 catfish
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons rice flour
Coconut Milk Gravy :
7 to 15 bird's eye chilies * adjust according to your liking
2 cm turmeric
170 ml water for blending
130 ml water
180 ml thick coconut milk | 3/4 cup
3 lemongrass (bruised)
1 tamarind slice
Sugar to taste
Salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Fried Catfish :
- Clean thoroughly cat fish and remove blood clot in the gut. Cut the fish in half if desired and make a few slices on both side of the fish. Remove the slimy substance with lime water, tamarind juice or lemon juice and rinse the fish. Pat dry the fish with kitchen papers.
- Coat the fish with turmeric powder, salt and two tablespoons of rice flour.
- Heat oil for frying in a frying pan.
- When the oil is hot, fry the fish over medium heat until golden brown and crispy on both sides.
- Remove and place fried fish on kitchen papers or in a colander to drain excess oil.
Coconut Milk Gravy :
- Blend bird's eye chilies with turmeric and water until smooth.
- Pour blended mixture into a wok, add bruised lemongrass and simmer mixture for a few minutes, until aromatic and bubbling.
- Add in 130 ml of water, coconut milk, sugar and tamarind slice and simmer for a few minutes. Stir frequently to avoid coconut milk from curdling.
- Season with salt and stir well.
- Lastly, add in fried catfish and simmer for a few minutes, until the gravy is slightly thickened. If you like the fish to be crispy, do not cook for too long after adding in the fish into the gravy.
- Dish out and ready to be served with warm rice. Enjoy!
- Bersihkan ikan keli dan buang darah beku dalam perut ikan. Boleh belah ikan keli menjadi 2 bahagian jika saiznya besar. Kemudian, kelar kedua belah ikan keli. Basuh ikan dengan air kapur, atau air asam jawa, atau jus lemon untuk hilangkan lendir pada ikan. Bilas dengan air bersih kemudian lap kering ikan menggunakan tisu dapur.
- Panaskan minyak secukupnya di dalam kuali.
- Setelah minyak cukup panas, masukkan ikan dan goreng sehingga kedua belah ikan keli berwarna keemasan dan teskturnya garing dan rangup.
- Keluarkan dan letak dalam penapis atau atas tisu dapur untuk menyerap lebihan minyak pada ikan.
- Kisar halus cili padi, kunyit dan air.
- Tuang bahan kisar ke dalam kuali/ periuk dan masukkan serai. Reneh dengan api sederhana sehingga harum dan mendidih.
- Masukkan 130 ml air, santan pekat, asam keping dan gula, kemudian reneh beberapa minit. Kacau selalu supaya santan tidak pecah.
- Masukkan garam secukupnya dan kacau sebati.
- Masukkan ikan keli goreng dan reneh beberapa minit sehingga kuah agak pekat. Kalau suka ikan keli yang garing, reneh kuah sekejap saja selepas masukkan ikan.
- Ikan keli masak lemak sedia untuk dihidang bersama nasi panas. Selamat mencuba!
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