Pepes Ikan

Pepes Ikan is a very popular fish dish in Bali and you can get it in almost every food stall (warung) there. The fish is marinated in a mixture of spices, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over hot charcoal. The marinade - an aromatic blend of garlic, shallots, chillies, lemongrass, aromatics and herbs- gives the fish a fresh and fragrant taste and the banana leaf will lock all the moisture and flavour during the cooking process. This dish will be great at a barbeque party served with hot steamed rice. However, if you can't find any banana leaf use foil instead.

Ingredients:

2 medium size whole mackerels, filleted
1 medium size tomato, thinly sliced

For the marinade:

2 tbs chopped fresh galangal or 1 tbs ground galangal
1 tbs chopped fresh ginger
1 tbs chopped fresh turmeric or 1 tsp ground turmeric
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped
1 kaffir lime leaf (fresh or dried), sliced
a pinch ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
1 tbs vegetable oil

Process all the ingredients for the marinade in a blender or pestle and mortar until fairly smooth and set aside. Cut the fillet of fish into bite size chunks and tip into a bowl, mix with 2 tbs of the paste, sliced tomato, season with salt and pepper and mix properly until each chunk is well coated with the marinade. If using banana leaf soak it first in hot water for 2-3 minutes to make it easier to handle. Spoon the marinated fish into the centre square of banana leaf or foil and spread evenly. Roll into a log shape and secure each end of the parcel (use tooth picks if using banana leaf). Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 C for 15-20 minutes and serve with hot   steamed rice.