Tang Neng aka Ikan Keli

the Foochows call this fish Tang Neng, a fish which can survive in many tough conditions even when oxygen is very much reduced. It can be found in very shallow murky water in drains in rubber gardens.

Somehow they thrived even in the rubber garden behind our house in Brooke Drive 50 years ago. My father used to trap them. Each ikan keli was only 1 Straits Dollar at that time. He always enjoyed selling some tang neng which he trapped in the small drain behind our house. A whole kerosene tin of fish would only bring him 10 dollars but he was happy.

I vaguely remember how my father would get rid of the fish skin by rubbing the fish with fresh wood ashes. After rubbing off the black skin, he would the wash the fish and clean the fish with salt and fresh water. Finally a hot water bath was given.

This kind of Foochow stove gives very goood wood ash (Photo by Steve Ling) 

The result was a very clean fish ready for steaming with tou cheong and ginger. The head and tail were not included in the bowl, not good enough to be eaten. For after all, he would wait for another rain and he would be getting more.

He would get us to collect the rubber seeds which he would roast to be placed in the fish trap (bubu) to catch his fish.

My father loved fishing.