Sarawakian Local Delights : Ikan Sultan

Ikan Sultan from the fresh water river or from the sea can be cooked in a bamboo stem as an alternative method, different from steaming, bbq or deep frying.  Most people who have had eaten bamboo cooked fish had found the white fleshed fish rather bony but they would find that the recipe gave them a different perception of fish eating. The fish having been cooked in a bamboo stem over a slow open fire, is not so oiler and the bones are easy to remove through careful picking, with the fingers or with chopsticks and fork.

The fish is usually cut in steaks and then halved to be marinated for half an hour with salt, lemon grass and daun bungkang. Then the fish is slowly stuffed into the bamboo stem together with the lemon grass, daun bungkang etc. The bamboo stem is then half filled with water. The open mouth of the bamboo stem is sealed with a ball of crumpled young tapioca leaves.

The bamboo stem must be turned once in a while to prevent burning. When the tapioca leaves are softened and cooked by the steam from the bamboo the fish is ready to be served. The fish will be aromatic and tasty. Enjoy!

(There is a special way of pouring out the fish from the bamboo. Hold the bamboo stem with the right hand, and slowly knock the hand with the left hand. The gentle pounding  of the right hand would cause the fish to slide out of the bamboo stem. Try it.)