It’s time to switch to Pesmol soup for the fish : AnimeIndo
Indigo Bumbu Pesmol, West Javanese food is delicious and easy
One of the many typical foods of West Java is tilapia pesmol. Not many people know that this processed fish comes from the Sundanese area. This processed fish is a favorite of many people because of its fresh taste with a spicy sensation that makes everyone always want to eat it.
This processed fish is quite unique, as this dish tends to have a strong herbal flavor, but the flavor is not too concentrated and remains fresh. In appearance, the menu of this fish dish is yellow because it uses turmeric. For this reason, this processed fish is also known by the name of yellow herb fish.
Some of the spices and aromatics used in making this tilapia dish are turmeric, ginger pieces, pecans and also shallots. Not only does it add a strong and savory flavor, the herbal ingredient also helps to give a pleasant aroma that closes the fishy aroma of the fish’s fishy aroma.
To make this traditional West Javanese food is actually not difficult. The steps you need to do are not too many. It’s just that, there are some special tips so that this Tilapia pesmol dish is delicious and tempts the taste buds without fail. The following is a full exposure of recipes that can be put into practice.
Fish as the main ingredient, pay attention to its freshness
The first thing before you start the cooking process, you need to prepare the main ingredient, which is tilapia. Actually, on this menu you can use any type of fish. But if you want to keep the original feel of West Java, you should only use tilapia. Be sure to choose fresh.
To choose a fresh fish there are a few simple tips. First, observe the smell of the fish you are going to choose. Fresh fish does not have a fishy smell that is too sharp for the nose. Fresh fish will give off an acceptable smell of water when inhaled through your nose.
Apart from the aroma, you can also check the freshness of the fish by the color of the gills. Fresh fish always has gills whose color is fresh blood red. It is different if the gills already look gray or brown, which means that the fish is no longer fresh, especially if you press on the flaccid side of the belly.
Fresh fish is usually more elastic. From the color of the scales is also different. Fresh fish scales still look shiny and not easy to separate from their bodies. Meanwhile, fish that are allowed to stand for a long time have pale scales and easily come loose when held. Also pay attention to the white part of the eyes of fresh fish.
If you’ve made sure the fish of choice is fresh, you can now immediately start processing tilapia as a West Javanese food . Of course, for that you need to thoroughly wash your fish on the scales. Then grease the fish with lime juice so that it does not smell fishy.
Prepare the ingredients of yellow pesmol spices
After choosing the fish, cleaning it and also smearing it with lime juice, it is now time to discuss the processing of tilapia as a typical West Javanese food and the recipe. The necessary ingredients to make pesmol spices are not too many. You can certainly get it easily on the market or others.
The ingredients you need are onions and white. Each of them comes down to eight for onions, as well as four cloves for garlic. Then also prepare two pecans, then a finger segment for turmeric and pieces of ginger. These ingredients are for the fine seasoning of pesmol later.
There are more ingredients to make yellow herbs. Among them are two sheets for bay leaf, then a galangal finger segment, two stems of lemongrass and do not forget to add ten red cayenne pepper grains. This makes this West Javanese food pesmol even tastier.
Don’t forget to also provide mineral water around 150 ml in abundance, and then season in the form of chicken broth or powdered mushroom broth, salt and granulated sugar, so that later the taste of the pesmol herbs you make is balanced and makes the tongue sway. You can also add a little pepper to replenish.
Prepare fish and also delicious fine herbs
After preparing various food ingredients typical of this region in West Java, you will proceed to the next step, namely fish processing and also the fine herbs first. Unlike other fish, this tilapia pesmol uses fish that has been fried first so that it is not too fishy.
Make sure you use enough oil to fry the fish and wait for it to heat up. The purpose of using this lot of oil is because the fish is fried using the deep fry method so that the fish can cook evenly. Bake until the fish is golden brown or yellow-brown but not too dry.
The tip for frying fish so that it does not explode is to sprinkle wheat flour over the fish that is baked on a hot fire. When the fish has matured, first drain and set aside. Now it’s time to make the fine herbs by pureeing the pecans, turmeric, ginger pieces and onions.
If it is smooth and evenly mixed, you can start baking the fine herbs until the fragrant aroma is smelled. Don’t forget to add ingredients of bay leaf, pressed lemongrass and galangal when you’re sautéing so that the aroma is more fragrant and delicious. Just use low heat so it doesn’t burn.
It’s time to switch to Pesmol soup for the fish
West Javanese food and the recipe are indeed quite easy to do. If the fine herbs just have a smell and have finished baking, pour the mineral water you prepared earlier. Cook and stir until it boils and the marinade is cooked. When it is cooked, add any other remaining ingredients.
Other remaining ingredients include some cayenne pepper that needs to be cooked whole and then start the seasoning process with mushroom or chicken broth, some salt jumps, and a dash of granulated sugar to taste. Make sure that the correction of the taste is just right from the gurgency, salty, spicy, even the balanced sweetness, so that it is delicious.
If you feel like it’s cooked enough, now is the time to put the tilapia that was previously baked in the pesmol soup. Make sure the fish is well covered with pesmol soup and cook until the water shrinks and pulls into the tilapia meat. Soon, West Javanese specialties are ready to enjoy.
If the pesmol soup has shrunk significantly and is absorbed into the fish, and the fish is already yellowish because of the pesmol herbs, you can lift it and put it on a prepared plate. Make sure you don’t really make up the pesmol soup so that this dish isn’t too dry.
To serve it, you can add some additional ingredients, such as pieces of star fruit or green tomatoes that not only support the presentation of the dish, but also add a sour and fresh taste when eating this traditional Sundanese dish.
Now the menu of tilapia pesmol or yellow herbs is ready to be served. You can taste together with your family or the ones closest to you. Isn’t it easy to make it? Recipes for West Javanese food and other regions of origin are usually delicious and easy to try.