fish in soya sauce

a.k.a. ikan masak kicap.

sometimes, simple can also be translated as nice. sometimes, you don't need to go all fancy to satisfy your taste bud. sometimes, when you've run out of ideas of what to cook  all you need is something very easy to prepare and yet, tasty.

today is the i-want-to-cook-something-simple-and-this-is-it day, or better known as 'makan aje apa mummy bagi day.' haha!

for some people, to prepare something like this, they do not need a recipe book or a specific recipe. i too have my own easy-peasy version of ikan masak kicap. BUT! since, i have a recipe book that has this recipe and since i'm still experimenting from recipe books, i decided to give this recipe taken from this book, Nostalgia Bonda.

the author of the book added a little something extra to her recipe, she added chicken stock cube, cinnamon stick and also cloves. whereas, if i were to cook my version, i'd just saute some shallots and garlic je. :-)

taste wise, because of the chicken stock cube and the cinnamon and cloves, i think it's a tad different, next time i will try this recipe with the recommended choice of fish stated in the recipe. biasalah senaaaah, temah ni kan tangkap muat sajork.

okay! on to the recipe, shall we:

you will need:
4 pieces of ikan tenggiri, mackerel (i didn't have any, so i used HRH Kembung)
1 cm cinnamon stick
2 to 3 cloves
10 shallots, pounded
4 cloves garlic, pounded
1 inch ginger, pounded
¼ cup dark soy sauce
¼ cup sweet soy sauce
1½ cups water
1 cube of chicken stock
2 tsps turmeric powder
1 tsp salt

the how to:
1)  rub salt and turmeric powder to the fish slices. leave aside for 20 minutes.

2)  fry the fish slices and put aside.

3)  saute cloves and cinnamon stick till fragrant.

4)  add pounded ingredients like shallots, garlic and ginger.

5)  when golden yellow, add water and stir well.

6)  add both types of soy sauce and allow to simmer.

7)  add in the fried fish slices and mix well.

8)  garnish with halved chillies and sliced big onions.

9)  ready to serve!

easy enough, right? well, let's go to the freezer and take the fish out already!!

recipe source:  nostalgia bonda, reminiscing mum's love by kamariah jamaludin