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Indonesia · Gourami

Indonesian Fried Gourami with Mango Sambal

Gurame Goreng Sambal Mangga

Giant gourami, gurame, is raised in ponds all over Java, and every Sundanese restaurant fries it whole until the fins are crisp enough to eat. It is buried under a sour, fiery salad of shredded green mango, shallots and chili, and eaten with rice and raw vegetables.

  • Prep 25 min
  • Cook 20 min
  • Serves 3
  • Level Medium
Photo: laela / Adobe Stock
Served with: Indonesian Tamarind Vegetable Soup ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

For the mango sambal

To serve

Method

Step by step, the traditional way.

  1. Score and marinate. Cut 3–4 deep diagonal slashes on each side of the fish. Pound the garlic, coriander, turmeric and salt with the lime juice into a paste and rub it all over and into the cuts. Leave 20 minutes.
  2. Dry. Pat the fish very dry with paper towels. This is what keeps the oil from spitting and makes the skin crisp.
  3. Fry. Heat 2 inches (5 cm) of oil in a wok to 350 °F (180 °C). Slide the fish in, cover with a splatter screen and fry 8–10 minutes per side without moving it, until deep golden and crunchy right through the fins.
  4. Make the sambal. Crush the shrimp paste, palm sugar and salt in a mortar. Add the chilies and shallots and bruise them lightly, then toss in the mango and lime juice.
  5. Serve. Drain the fish, set it on a banana leaf and pile the mango sambal on top. Serve hot with rice, lettuce and cucumber.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Indonesian Tamarind Vegetable Soup
Indonesia

Indonesian Tamarind Vegetable Soup

Sayur Asem

A light, sweet-sour broth full of corn, chayote, long beans and peanuts. In West Java it is the soup that goes with fried fish and sambal.

  • Prep 15 min
  • Cook 25 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 6 cups water
  • 4 shallots
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 red chilies
  • 3 candlenuts or macadamia nuts
  • 1 in (2.5 cm) galangal, sliced
  • 2 Indonesian bay leaves (salam), optional
  • 2 tbsp tamarind pulp, soaked in ¼ cup hot water
  • 2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 1 ear of corn, cut in 6 pieces
  • 1 chayote, peeled and cubed
  • 1 cup long beans or green beans, cut in 2 in (5 cm) pieces
  • ½ cup raw peanuts
  • 1 cup shredded cabbage

How to make it

  1. Make the paste. Blend the shallots, garlic, chilies and candlenuts with a little water.
  2. Build the broth. Bring the water to a boil with the paste, galangal, bay leaves and peanuts. Simmer 10 minutes.
  3. Add vegetables. Add the corn and chayote and cook 8 minutes, then the beans and cabbage for 4 more.
  4. Season. Strain in the tamarind water, add the palm sugar and salt, taste for a clear sweet-sour balance and serve hot.

More from this part of the world

Other fish from the same waters.

Dagupan, PhilippinesFilipino Stuffed Grilled Milkfish
Central ThailandThai Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup
ChinaChinese Dry-Braised Yellow Croaker