Ikan goreng facts for kids
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| Alternative names | Iwak goreng |
|---|---|
| Course | Main course |
| Associated national cuisine | Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Fish, seasoned with garlic, shallots and other spices and deep fried in coconut oil |
Ikan goreng is a super popular dish from Indonesia and Malaysia. It's basically deep-fried fish or other yummy seafood. The name Ikan goreng simply means "fried fish" in both Indonesian and Malay languages.
This delicious fried fish is a favorite in Indonesia. Before cooking, the fish is often soaked in a mix of tasty spices. Some recipes even brush the fish with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) after it's fried.
Ikan goreng is usually cooked by deep-frying it in very hot coconut oil. The fish gets golden brown and super crispy. This cooking method is great for fish like carp, gourami, and milkfish. It makes their tiny bones so crunchy you can eat them!
How to Make Ikan Goreng
Before frying, the fish is usually soaked in a special mix of spices. Sometimes, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) is added too. The spices can be different depending on where you are. But usually, they include salt, lemon juice, and ground shallots.
Other common spices are garlic, chili pepper, coriander, turmeric, and galangal. Some recipes might even dip the fish in batter or egg before frying.
After it's fried, ikan goreng is often eaten right away with steamed rice. People love to dip it in sambal terasi, which is chili with shrimp paste. Another popular dip is sambal kecap, a mix of chili, shallots, and sweet soy sauce. In East Indonesia, especially Manado and Maluku, ikan goreng is served with dabu-dabu or colo-colo sauce.
Some ikan goreng recipes add extra spice mixes, called bumbu, on top of the fried fish. One example is bumbu acar kuning, a yellow pickle sauce. It's made with turmeric, garlic, and other spices. It also has sliced cucumber, carrot, chili, and round shallots. Another topping is chopped tomato with vinegar.
Different Kinds of Ikan Goreng
There are many ways to make ikan goreng! Recipes can change based on the spices used to soak the fish. They also differ in the toppings, dipping sauces, or sambals that go with it.
Almost any kind of fish or seafood can be made into ikan goreng. Some of the most popular freshwater fish used are gourami, bilis (a type of mystacoleucus), patin (pangasius), nila (nile tilapia), mujair (mozambique tilapia), and ikan mas (carp).
For seafood, popular choices include bandeng (milkfish), tongkol or cakalang (skipjack tuna), tuna, bawal (pomfret), tenggiri (wahoo), kuwe (trevally), baronang (rabbitfish), kerapu (garoupa), kakap merah (red snapper), teri (anchovy), todak (swordfish), hiu or cucut (shark), and pari (stingray).
