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Ikan goreng kunyit (turmeric fried fish)
Ikan goreng kunyit: Malaysian fish rubbed with turmeric and salt, fried crisp
Ikan goreng kunyit is cooked in Malay kampung kitchens and city flats alike for a simple lunch or dinner with rice, sambal and vegetables: small whole fish or thick steaks rubbed with turmeric, salt and a little chilli, then fried until golden and crisp at the edges. The mistake is moving the fish too soon; leave it until it releases from the pan on its own, or the crust tears and sticks. Chef's tip: score the fish to the bone so the turmeric seasons the flesh and it cooks evenly.
- Total time
- 22 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb whole small fish (mackerel, sea bream) or thick steakscleaned and scaled; or 4 fish steaks
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- ¾ cup vegetable oilfor shallow frying
- 4 lime wedges (optional)to serve
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Pat 1 ¾ lb whole small fish (mackerel, sea bream) or thick steaks dry. Cut 2–3 deep slashes on each side of whole fish. Rub all over and into the slashes with 2 tsp ground turmeric, 1 ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp chilli powder and 1 tbsp lime juice. Leave for 5 minutes.
8 minStep 2: Heat ¾ cup vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat until a pinch of turmeric sizzles. Lay the fish in away from you.
2 minStep 3: Fry without moving until the underside is golden and crisp and the fish lifts away easily, then turn carefully and fry the other side.
9 minStep 4: The fish is done when the flesh at the thickest part is opaque and flakes easily from the bone. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with rice, sambal and 4 lime wedges.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ikan goreng kunyit (turmeric fried fish) take?
- About 22 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- 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 ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of chilli powder?
- Cayenne, half the amount (hotter).
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