PERUT IKAN (PICKLED FISH STOMACH)

I love to eat a nyonya dish called perut ikan. My Aunt Linda knows how to cook the dish since my maternal ancestors are Straits born Chinese. Whenever I see this dish sold in shops or the market, I am sure to buy it. I just managed to find the recipe on the Internet and am sharing it here with you. Somehow, I will find time to make the dish since I love eating it so much. it
The picture below of the Perut Ikan sold by a lady at the wet market in Ipoh. As can be seen, she had sold a lot of the dish when I took the picture. It is quite cheap, RM2.00 for a packet.


Ingredients
1 bottle perut ikan (preserved fish stomach)
500g small prawns (shelled, washed and drained)
1 pineapple (remove eyes and cut into bite size).

Cut these into 5cm lengths:
10 kacang botol
8 red chillies
300g long beans
4 long brinjals
10 assam belimbing (cut into halves).

Arrange the following leaves one on top of the other, with smaller ones on top; roll and wrap tightly and shred very finely:
4 turmeric leaves
50 daun kadok (heart-shaped, dark green leaves)
10 daun limau purut (kaffir lime leaves)
2 bunches daun kesom (sweet basil)
2 bunches daun pudina (mint leaves)
10 daun cekor (resembles small, turmeric leaves)
10 daun sekuntut*

Slice finely:
3 stalks bunga kantan
3 stalks lemon grass
3 tamarind slices
12 dried chillies, remove seeds and soak in water
20 shallots
5cm piece belacan
4 litres water
salt and sugar to taste

Method
Pound dried chillies, shallots, serai and belacan till fine. Add pounded ingredients and tamarind slices to water and bring to the boil.Add all other ingredients except the brinjals and prawns. Boil for an hour, lower fire to simmer, add brinjals and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add prawns and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add salt and sugar to taste.

* This resembles kangkong leaves but with thin stalks. It has a distinctive pungent smell - which explains its name!

Recipe taken from: http://kuali.com/recipes/viewrecipe.asp?r=661