Ikan lemon zucchini

Soul Food was written by the cooking duo Mas van Putten and Carl Lemette, under the pseudonym De vrouw met de baard. It brings together the best of the West and the finest of the East. Our own cooking duo, Marieke and Emma, are going to test two dishes for you.

This is what the cookbook says about the recipe Marieke is going to cook (click here for the review):

A delicious little comfort dish to make you happy. Easy to prepare, ready in no time and fresh—no packet can compete. You can buy trassi, fermented shrimp, in convenient jars. If you use it fresh, you may need to get used to the smell.

To us, it smells like the kitchens of our mothers, grandmothers and aunts. The smell of days gone by. After briefly frying, the smell turns into a delicious aroma. It gives Indonesian dishes their unmistakable, deep, distinctive flavour. This is exactly the kind of sauce you should make three times. The fourth time, it is yours and you can make it from memory; easy-peasy.

Method:

Cut the onion into thin rings and the green chilli into very thin rings. Rinse the fish fillets under running water, pat dry with kitchen paper and season with pepper and salt. Cover with aluminium foil and set aside. Halve the courgette lengthways and cut the two halves into thin slices. Place all the ingredients within reach so you can grab everything immediately.

Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the onion rings, sambal and trassi until the onions are translucent. Lower the heat slightly and stir in the santen. Let the santen melt and add a little water. Add the spices, top up with water and mix into a smooth sauce. Add the courgette, lemon juice, djeruk purut leaves and brown sugar and mix well.

Taste it—the lemon flavour should be clearly present. Simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes, until the courgette is cooked but still crunchy. Season the sauce with a little salt and some black pepper.

Heat 1 splash (approximately 2 tablespoons) of oil in the frying pan and fry the fish fillets, moving them back and forth occasionally with a spatula. Turn the fillets after approximately 2 to 3 minutes, depending on their thickness.

Prepare four plates. Spoon approximately 4 tablespoons of sauce into the centre of each plate. Carefully place the fillets in the centre of the plate on top of the sauce using the spatula. Grate some lime zest over them and serve immediately. Delicious with crispy rice with water chestnuts, or with noodles or
pandan rice.

Image: 

Daan Verschuur

Soul Food

De vrouw met de baard
€ 22,50
Spectrum