Pesmol Fish - Fish Week #1

Creamy fried fish from Indonesia.
The creaminess came from the candlenut and the coconut milk. Very rich.

I saw that there are Betawi versions and Javanese versions. I don't know which version mine belong to. Kindly enlighten me.
I also saw some uses carp, Tilapia and some used Indian mackerel, so I made a guess that the type of fish is not critical for this dish.

The salam leaves we have here seem to be different I think, as it's usually eaten raw with sambal. I tasted it, there was no special taste or smell to the local salam leaves. So, my dish, might not taste like the one in Indonesia.

I do hope that one day I will get some real salam leaves from Indonesia :)
or I shall hope I get to find some here, kind of elusive eh... or maybe they go with another name, like how kencur is cekur here?

Pesmol Fish
Adapted from Singgahsana Kitchen

2 Mackerel Steaks (around 500gm)
Black pepper and some salt

1 Tbsp lime juice
200ml coconut milk + 50ml water

Grind to as paste
5 candlenuts
3 red chillies
1 Tbsp galangal (eyeball)
1 Tbsp ginger (eyeball)
1 tsp turmeric root (eyeball)
2 shallots
1 clove garlic

Tear
2 salam leaves
2 kaffir lime leaves

Split and bruise
5 bird's eye chilli
1 stalk lemongrass

1. Season fish with salt and black pepper. Fry the fish until golden. Dish up.
2. Add more oil to the pan/wok and saute the paste until fragrant and glossy (pecah minyak). Add in salam leaves, kaffir lime leaves, chilli and lemon grass.
3. Add in coconut milk and let it cook until thickens.
4. Season with lime juice, sugar, and salt.
5. Pour the gravy over the fried fish and serve.

I am submitting this to Asian Food Fest Indonesia Month, 

hosted by Alice of I Love. I Cook. I Bake.