Food, Dining & Family

ASAM PEDAS BUAH BINJAI ( Binjai - Spicy and Sour Gravy )

According to Indonesian Wikipidea - Binjai fruit is a member of the mango family with sweet and sour taste and very aromatic smell. It has an ovoid shape , like an egg with spotted or plain brown colored skin . The skin pattern reflects its taste. Spotted - sweet while plain is sour.

Skin off , you will have its smooth yellow colored flesh . Unlike mango, the fruit is only eaten when it is ripe . It has hard round seed in the middle , which is processed and make into other dishes .

The ripe binjai fruit is suitably cooked with fresh water fishes either in ' Asam Pedas ' or ' Lemak Cili Padi ' . It is also pounded as sambal paste , as dip to ulam and grilled seafood . Besides cooking, it is also eaten fresh as fruit and for those sour tooth , the fruit is turned to pickles by adding sugar and salt and refrigerated overnight .

The Asam Pedas ingredients

1/2 kg any type of fresh water fishes
Ikan Patin , Ikan Keli , Ikan Jelawat , Ikan Lampam etc

Blend

10 dried red chilies ( wash , soak or boil to soften )
13 shallots
6 garlics
1 inch ginger
1 inch fresh turmeric
2 lemon grass
an inch fresh galangal ( bruised )
3 tablespoon fresh tamarind pulp
a small bowl fresh Vietnamese mint leaves
(daun kesum )
1 shredded fresh ginger flower
1 binjai fruit ( sliced )
1 t/spn toasted prawn paste ( optional )
enough water to make gravy
a little bit of oil ( optional )
salt and palm sugar to taste

The fresh binjai fruit

The Asam Pedas with Buah Binjai

Method

Heat oil in a pot ( kuali ) . Sauteed the blended paste until fragrant and oil starts to surface . Add in the fresh herbs , the whole tamarind pulp , salt , sugar and water . Cover with lid and let it simmer over a low / med heat . Once gravy beginning to boil , add the fish , stir and add the sliced binjai fruit. Leave it to simmer again over a low heat . Let the flavors develop and the fish cook before you turn off the heat .