Guest Post: Grilled Fish in Banana Leaf

You may remember that I did a guest post for my friend Leemei of My Cooking Hut some time ago. I've done a few guest posts since then but will always be grateful to Leemei for being the first to invite me into her virtual home. Of course with the impressive array of beautiful and distinctive foods on her blog (like caramelized fresh pineapple cake, steamed fish and spinach rolls, or watermelon salad), I couldn't miss a chance to have her share something with us. It's hard to believe, but I think the dish below is the loveliest one yet from my talented cook and photographer friend. I'm delighted to welcome Leemei to my site this time and hope you'll make her feel right at home =D.

Not too long ago, Xiaolu from 6 Bittersweets wrote a lovely guest post about the scrumptious Cold Mung Bean Noodles on my blog. She later had asked me to share a savoury recipe on her blog. I should have got this done a while ago but due to my tight schedule, I had to postpone it.

Thanks to Xiaolu for being understanding for this long overdue post! I have chosen to share a delicious Malaysia dish – grilled fish in banana leaf. Thank you, Xiaolu, for giving me this wonderful opportunity to contribute to your lovely blog!

Malaysian food has always been understated. But, recent years, I have seen more and more Malaysian food being introduced to the Western world. It is pretty tricky to define what Malaysian food is as it is not a distinct cuisine but an array of food where the diversity is found through its multi-ethnic population of Malay, Indian, Eurasian, Chinese, Nyonya and the Indigenous people of Borneo.

Being brought up in a melting pot society with disparate rhythms and cultures, my taste buds have been taught to be bold and adventurous. My life has been very much connected to food since young. Where I come from is 45 minutes away from the Southern Thai border, which explains the Thai cooking influence in my cooking. I have to admit that I have been blessed to learn so much different taste and texture in food.

During my teenage years, there were many times my friends and I liked to organize BBQ. We easily got distracted in the classroom when we had a plan for BBQ outing. We would be busy thinking and discussing what each would bring.

As a seafood lover, I was always in charged in fish or other seafood. One of my signature dishes has to be fish wrapped in banana leaf. In Malay language, we simply call it Ikan Panggang. It is very common to use mackerel as it has really fine and soft flesh that doesn’t break easily. It is a very simple recipe yet tasty! Thanks to the fragrant spices that are used in this recipe. The use of banana leaf imparts a subtle fragrance to the fish as well as keeping it moist. Summer is soon approaching, it will definitely be a winner!

Grilled Fish in Banana Leaf [Printable Recipe
Serves 4

4 whole mackerel (cleaned and gutted, heads chopped off if desired)
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tbsp coriander powder
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp of salt
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp sunflower oil
banana leaves and cocktail sticks for wrapping

Dipping sauce:
3 tbsp sweet dark soya sauce (kecap manis)
2 tsp chopped fresh red chili
2 - 3 tbsp lime juice

Rinse and dry mackerel with kitchen towel.

Mix ginger, coriander, chili, cumin, turmeric and salt in a bowl and mix with 2 tbsp spoon of water. Make a couple of slashes on both sides of the fish and rub curry paste on them, make sure it covers the diagonal cuts. Then, drizzle sunflower oil on the fish.

Wrap each fish with banana leaf and secure with cocktail sticks. Layer BBQ grill with banana leaf and cook fish parcels for 15 to 20 minutes, half the time for each side.

For the dipping sauce, mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Adjust acidity if necessary. Serve with grilled fish.