IKAN MASAK ASAM REBUS aka FISH IN HOT SOUR SOUP is a favorite of my parent. It is very healthy as no oil is used. The fish is cooked in tamarind and chili soup, it has tangy, spicy and slightly sweet taste.
You can use almost any fish but common one was mackerel, tuna, yellow stripe scad (selar kuning) but I choose red snapper.
Before you start cooking, make sure to clean your fish properly. First remove the balance of scales from the body if any, the easiest way was to ask the fish seller to do that for you. Then take out the gills, fats and organ otherwise you have a fishy stale smell after it is cooked.
Remove blood clots at the back bone of the fish. It is not visible as it was covered with a membrane. Slit open this white membrane and dig out the blood clots. Wash this with running water. After that I soak my fish for 10 minutes in which 2 small lime juice was added, drain and coat with turmeric and salt.
Substitutions : 5 fresh red chili and 3 bird's eye chili instead of blended chili
1 teaspoon of shrimp paste (belacan) instead of dry anchovies
2-3 pieces asam gelugor (dried tamarind slices) instead of tamarind paste
1 inch turmeric root instead of turmeric powder
Ikan Masak Asam Rebus tasted really wonderful if you cook with fresh fish and now this dish becomes my favorite too.
