Ikan Bilis Goreng Kachang (Malayan)

 This is an excellent snack served in many bars in Singapore in the 1950s.  Though no longer served in the spanking new pubs, it still remains a popular snack or a side dish for the Malay coconut rice classic, nasi lemak. 

1 cup ikan bilis (dried anchovies)

� cup peanuts, with or without skin

Cooking oil

3 tbsp sambal (see below)

Sugar to taste

Rinse the ikan bilis and allow it to dry completely before deep-frying in a pot of hot oil on medium heat.  The oil should not be on high heat as the ikan bilis will be burnt before it can turn crispy.  Let it fry till crispy.  Remove and keep aside.

Deep-fry or roast the peanuts till golden brown and crispy.  Remove and keep aside.

In a frying pan with some cooking oil, fry the sambal on medium fire for a minute till fragrant, then add in the ikan bilis and peanuts.  Saute the mixture, and add sugar to taste. 

Once it is done, remove and store in a jar.  This wonderful snack can be kept for days.

Sambal

There are many types of sambal but it generally means a hot chilli condiment or sauce, and is popular in many Malay and nyonya dishes.  You can make a batch of this sambal and keep for a week or two in your fridge to be used with ikan bilis goreng kachang, seafood (sambal shrimp), poultry or even fried rice (nasi goreng).

 22 large dried chilli (mild-medium in heat), soaked in water and drained

16 shallots, peeled

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 �  tbsp dried shrimp paste (Malay belacan)

1 tsp sugar

� cup of cooking oil

4 candlenuts

 Put everything with some water in a food processor and grind to a fine paste. If you will like your sambal hotter, add a few dried small chillies from the Asian markets to the food processor.  Heat � cup of cooking oil in a frying pan and fry the sambal on a low-medium fire till it has turned a dark reddish hue, with oil sipping on top.  This will take about 15 minutes. Add more salt and sugar to taste.  Cool and store in a jar in the refrigerator.

Substition tips :  If you do not live in Southeast Asia and have difficulty getting some of the ingredients, this is what you can do :

• Dried chilli - If you are not able to get the long and thin dried chilli that is found in Singapore, you may use any of the large dried Mexican chillies with mild-medium heat.

• Shrimp paste - If you are not able to get belacan, you may substitute with Thai shrimp paste

• Dried anchovies - There are many types of dried anchovies in the market, including those from Japan.  For this recipe, look for dried anchovies produced in Southeast Asia.

www.singaporefoodhistory.com / Copyright 2005 Ai Ling Sim-Devadas