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Garang Asem Ikan Tenggiri - Spanish Mackerel in Spicy and Sour Soup

Name: Garang Asem Ikan Tenggiri - Spanish Mackerel in Spicy and Sour Soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 1 kilogram Spanish mackerel (Indonesian: ikan tenggiri), 1/2 inch thick steaks; juice of 1 lime; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoon oil; 2 Indonesian bay leaves (Indonesian: daun salam); 100 gram tomatillos (Indonesian: tomat hijau), cut into halves; 750 ml coconut milk; 1 tablespoon salt; 1/2 tablespoon sugar; tamarind solution (1 teaspoon tamarind (Indonesian: asam Jawa) + 1 tablespoon water); 8 red chilies (Note 1); 100 gram shallots; 3 cloves garlic; 1 inch kaempferia galangal (Indonesian: kencur); 1 inch turmeric (Indonesian: kunyit); 1/2 inch ginger (Indonesian: jahe); 1/2 inch galangal (Indonesian: lengkuas)

Last updated: Mar 22, 2014 — Published: Mar 22, 2014 — By: Anita — 9 comments

Learn how to cook Spanish mackerel in this spicy and sour Indonesian fish soup, bursting with flavors. This dish is deceptively easy to prepare while looking impressive.

Garang Asem Ikan Tenggiri - Spanish Mackerel in Spicy and Sour Soup.

Garang Asem is a spicy and sour soup from Central and Eastern Java. Spanish mackerel (Indonesian: ikan tenggiri) is the usual go-to for Garang Asem, but it can be replaced with other fish, such as red snapper or rockfish.

The sour and spicy soup is bursting with flavors, and we love the soup more than the fish! While it is usual to serve Garang Asem with steamed rice, you can prepare some boiled noodles or vermicelli and serve them as noodle/vermicelli soup.

Ingredients for Garang Asem Ikan Tenggir: Spanish mackerel, lime, salt, sugar, tamarind, red chilies, shallot, garlic, galangal, ginger, turmeric, kaempferia galangal, tomatillos, Indonesian bay leaves, and coconut milk.

Ingredients for Garang Asem Ikan Tenggiri

We need:

Spanish mackerel (Indonesian: ikan tenggiri)
lime
salt
sugar
tamarind
coconut milk
Indonesian bay leaves (Indonesian: daun salam)
tomatillos (Indonesian: tomat hijau)
red chilies; a mix of bird-eye, fresno, or other red-colored chilies of your choice
garlic
shallot (Indonesian: bawang merah)
ginger (Indonesian: jahe)
galangal (Indonesian: lengkuas)
kaempferia galangal (Indonesian: kencur)
turmeric (Indonesian: kunyit)

(1) Marinate the fish with salt and lime. Prepare spice paste. (2) Sauté spice paste, tomatillos, and Indonesian bay leaves. (3) Add coconut milk. (4) Add fish, salt, sugar, and tamarind.

Marinate Fish and Prepare Spice Paste

Before cooking, we must marinate the fish and prepare the spice paste.

1. Marinate the fish

First, cut our fish into 1/2-inch thick steaks. I usually get about 8 steaks from 1 kilogram of fish.

To marinate the fish, massage lime juice and salt into the fish steaks and set them aside for at least 15 minutes.

2. Prepare spice paste

Use a food processor/mortar-and-pestle to grind chilies, shallot, garlic, ginger, galangal, kaempferia galangal, and turmeric into a smooth paste to create our spice paste.

TIPS: You can remove the seeds from the chilies to reduce the heat level of the finished dish, especially if you are using bird-eye chilies.

How to Cook Garang Asam Ikan Tenggiri

1. Sauté spice paste

Heat oil in a wok and sauté spice paste, Indonesian bay leaves, and tomatillos for 3 minutes or until fragrant.

2. Add coconut milk

Add coconut milk, mix well, and bring to a boil.

3. Add fish

Add fish, salt, sugar, and tamarind solution. Cook uncovered for about 15 minutes until the fish is cooked and the sauce is slightly reduced.

4. Serve

Turn off the heat and transfer the dish to a serving bowl. Serve the dish hot with steamed rice, or add boiled noodles/vermicelli to make a noodle/vermicelli bowl.