January 29, 2013

Puffer Fish

Ikan Buntal is well known in Sarawak as a fish you love to catch for its eggs even though an accidental tasting of the flesh might end up in death .

Only the very skilled cook knows how to prepare fresh buntal for the pot. I must say I won't want to do any of this kitchen work.
The dried puff up skin of a buntal is used to make a lamp shade to the delight of both adults and children.



Its eggs are beautiful, whether salted or fresh. In Saratok and Betong of Sarawak buntal eggs are sold in packets of RM10.00. Tourists and locals look anxiously for them in the market. Salted buntal eggs are good with porridge especially. They also form a nice ingredient for omelettes.

But one use of the buntal skin is for the making of lanterns and this calls for a special skill to take out all the flesh and puff up the skin for drying.



4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ya, puffer fish can make beautiful and unique decoration. I understand in Japan, every year a sizeable no of Japanese die from puffer fish poison as raw puffer fish is a delicay.

Ensurai said...

Yes it is true . Many Japanese die from eat badly prepared Fugu (puffer fish flesh). Nice deco!!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

u very brave? I am coward, I had chance to eat, but me, no brave.

Ensurai said...

I eat the salted eggs.

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