Leaving the ingredients for lempah kuning whole allows the flavors to infuse, while the pineapple adds a sweet note. (Photo courtesy of Petty Elliott)
Pineapples are indigenous to South America. This fragrant fruit, resembling a pinecone, is now grown in tropical countries, including Indonesia. Pineapples do not ripen significantly post-harvest, so choose a sweet, fragrant fruit with fresh green leaves. Some varieties, like the local Palembang pineapple, can be fully ripe despite having a greenish exterior.
For those who are intimidated by cutting up the fruit, here’s how. Slice off the bottom and the top of the pineapple. Cutting off the bottom should give you a nice flat base that will help keep the pineapple steady as you run you knife from top to bottom removing the hard outer skin. Next, remove the “eyes” of the pineapple by making small notches. Rinse the fruit in cold water, dry it with a kitchen towel and rub it with a little salt.
Pineapple juice is often used as a meat tenderizer. Also served fresh, pineapples are found in a wide array of dishes worldwide, from simple salads to delicious, cooling sorbets for dessert.
Fresh pineapple is low in calories and rich in fiber. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and folic acid, thiamin and minerals like manganese, potassium and copper. In some countries, the pineapple’s leaves and skin are used to produce textile fiber for wallpaper and curtains.
For this week’s recipe I have lempang kuning . It is a classic fish soup from Bangka Island. Usually, mackerel is used but I have replaced it with white snapper. The texture of the soup is runny with a beautiful infusion of fresh roots, spices, chilies and lemon grass. The freshness and acidity come from a touch of tamarind and pineapple which also gives it a touch of sweetness and nice fragrance.
If you don’t like shrimp paste, you may replace it with fish sauce. Traditionally the ingredients are blended and fried in oil, but I simply chop everything up and boil everything together which infuses the deep flavors, similar to the technique used in tom yam goong soup. This is a perfect bowl of comfort on a rainy day. Enjoy!
Lempah Kuning, Fish soup with pineapple
You can add prawn and squid into this dish to make it a seafood soup.
It has delicious sour and spicy flavor. Serves 4
Ingredients:
300g fillet of snapper or any white fish, cut into 3cm width; 1 small pineapple (225g), 2 red tomatoes, chopped roughly; 1 liter of water. 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped thinly; 50g shallots, peeled and chopped roughly; 7cm each fresh ginger, turmeric and galangal , peeled and sliced thinly; 3 long curly chilies and 2 red bird’s eye chilies, chopped roughly; 2 stalks of lemon grass; 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (roasted), or 1-2 tablespoons of fish sauce; 15gr tamarind pulp; 1 teaspoon sugar; salt to season.
Directions:
1. Prepare the pineapple. Follow the instructions above. Cut half of the pineapple into bite size pieces.
2. Cut the lemon grass into 6cm length. Use the back of your knife to pound them, just to bruise it to release the flavor. Tie the lemon grass into a knot to make it easier to remove.
3. Pour water in a large pot and put all the ingredients in except sugar, salt and fish, and bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes to infuse the flavor.
4. At this point, add the fish and cook for 1 or 2 minutes on low-medium heat and serve immediately. If you want to serve the soup in contemporary way, strain the broth and put it back into the pan, reheat and add the sliced fish and cook for 1 or 2 minutes.
5. Have four-warmed soup bowls ready. Ladle the soup, along with the fillet of fish, into each bowl. Add some pineapple pieces. Sprinkle with small cubes of tomatoes and sliced thin chilies. Serve immediately.
The post Food for Thought: Versatile, Tropical Pineapple Adds Sweetness to Traditional Fish Soup appeared first on The Jakarta Globe.