Indonesian Recipes (Bali, Java) - Fish in Coconut Cream Sauce (Gulai Bahari) Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 red mullet or other fish suitable for boiling

• 1 large or 4-5 small squid, cleaned

• 1 piece cod

• 5 medium scampi

• 1 cup mussels

• 5-6 green mussels

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 onion or 5 Chinese shallots

• 3 cherry tomatoes

• 1 piece galangal root, 2.5 cm/1 in long

• 1 piece ginger root, 2.5 cm/1 in long

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

• 1/2 teaspoon ground

• 2 teaspoons cumin

• salt and sugar to taste

• 1-2 teaspoons Sambal ulek

• 2 tablespoons oil

• 2 cloves

• 1 cardamom pod

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 2 stems lemon grass

• 2-3 kaffir lime leaves

• 200 ml/7 fl oz (7/8 cup) coconut cream

• 250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) fish stock (broth) or water

Serves 4-5

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Method:

1. To clean the red mullet, cut open lengthways on the belly side and remove the insides. Rinse thoroughly under the tap and carefully remove the scales with a blunt knife. Make three diagonal cuts on each side.

2. Cut each squid so as to obtain a rectangular piece. Cut this width ways into strips 3-4 cm/1-1 1/2 in long and make cuts in their surface to create a diamond pattern.

3. Wash the cod, mussels and scampi. Remove the intestines of the scampi by opening them up lengthways along the back. Cut the cod into cubes. Chop the cloves of garlic. Cut the onion or shallots and the cherry tomatoes in half. Crush the galangal and ginger roots.

4. In a mortar coarsely pound together the cloves of garlic and one half onion or five half shallots with the turmeric, coriander, cumin, salt, sugar and samba 1 ulek, or puree in a blender. Be careful not to let it become like a smooth mousse.

5. Heat the oil in a pan over a high flame. Add the coarsely pureed mixture together with the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, galangal root, ginger, lemon grass, kaftir lime leaves and halved tomatoes.

6. Next add the coconut cream and the fish stock or water. Bring to the boil. Add the rest of the onions or shallots. Finally, add the fish - the red mullet, cod and squid - and simmer over a low heat.

7. After about 15 minutes, add the mussels and scampi and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Serve with white rice or white sticky rice.