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Hinava
Hinava — Kadazan raw fish salad with lime, ginger, chilli and bambangan
Hinava is the dish Kadazandusun families set out at Kaamatan, Sabah's harvest festival in May, and on weekend tables in Kota Kinabalu and Penampang. Strips of raw mackerel are soaked in sour lime juice, then tossed with sliced shallots, ginger, red chilli and grated seed of bambangan, a wild mango, which adds a musky tang. The result is sharp, clean and crunchy, with firm, pearly fish. Eat it as a starter or alongside rice and grilled meat. Chef's tip: slice the fish very thinly and evenly so the lime firms each strip the same way, and season with salt only at the end.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Use only very fresh fish that is sold for raw eating and has been frozen (−68°F for 7 days or −95°F for 15 hours) to kill parasites. Lime juice firms and whitens the fish but does not cook it and does not kill bacteria or parasites. Pregnant people, young children, older people and anyone with a weakened immune system should eat the cooked version in the last step instead.
Step 2: Keeping the fish on a separate board, cut the 14 oz Spanish mackerel (tenggiri) fillet, sashimi-grade, previously frozen into thin strips about 5 mm thick and 4 cm long. Keep it cold.
Step 3: Put the fish in a non-metallic bowl and pour over two-thirds of the 4 limes juice. Turn it, cover and leave in the fridge for 10 minutes, until the outside of each strip turns opaque white.
10 minStep 4: Drain off and discard the cloudy lime juice. A mistake people often make is leaving the fish in it longer: it turns chalky and dry.
Step 5: Add 6 shallots, 1 ⅜ oz fresh ginger, 3 red chillies, bambangan and bitter gourd if using, the rest of the 2 limes juice and 1 tsp salt. Toss gently and serve straight away, cold.
Step 6: Cooked option: poach the fish strips in barely simmering salted water for 2 minutes until opaque and flaking (145°F/145 °F), cool them in the fridge, then dress as above, skipping the lime soak.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 180 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hinava take?
- About 20 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of limes?
- Lemon, same amount.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
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