Fish Cencaru Stuffed with Sambal Kesum, Special Recipe, Delicious & Easy

Delicious Ikan Cencaru Sumbat Sambal shared by sister Eh Hidayah Ariffin. The special thing about this recipe is that it uses kesum leaves. It smells so good and tastes even better. Try it. You will definitely love the taste.

The combination of sambal, tomato, onion and kesum leaves makes this dish quite appetizing. What's more interesting is that the sambal is not only put into the stomach of the fish, but also stuffed into the spine so that the taste is more even when eaten.

How to Cook Cencaru Fish Stuffed with Sambal Kesum That's Delicious & Easy

This recipe uses ingredients that are easily available. The fish can be fried until cooked or baked according to your taste. To get a more delicious sambal flavor and interesting texture, the ground ingredients can also be pounded.

Ingredients for Stuffed Fish with Sambal

15 cencaru fish – cleaned

Blended Ingredients

7 shallots – buy online here
1/2 Dutch onion – buy online here
4 cloves of garlic
1.5 inch shrimp paste – buy online here
1 tablespoon tamarind
3 teaspoons salt
2 inch gula melaka – buy online here
Enough water
8 dried chilies – soak in hot water first

Diced Ingredients

7 red onions
1/2 Dutch onion
3 biji tomato
Kesum leaves / midi shoots – separate the leaves & no need to slice.

How to Cook Cencaru Fish with Sambal Sauce

Clean the fish, remove the guts and cut the top in half. Set aside. Make sure the cut side has enough space to add the sambal later.
Combine the ingredients and blend to your preferred texture. If the blended ingredients are too liquid, put them in a pan and simmer until the water reduces. It tastes better if the ingredients are mashed.
Combine the ground ingredients with the diced ingredients. Taste the saltiness and sweetness to taste. This combination of onion, tomato and kesum leaves is what gives the sambal a more appetizing texture and aroma.
Take the fish and stuff the sambal in the belly first. Then stuff it in the spine. Marinate the fish for a while so that the sambal flavor can penetrate the fish. This method also helps make the Ikan Cencaru Sumbat Sambal more flavorful when it is ready to be cooked.
Heat the cooking oil and fry the fish until cooked. Use the right heat so that the outside of the fish doesn't get too crispy while the inside is still undercooked. Remove, drain the oil and it's ready to enjoy.

Apart from frying, this fish can also be baked. The cooking method can be chosen according to your taste and appetite. What is important is to make sure the fish is cooked perfectly and the stuffed sambal has a balanced taste of salt, sweet and sour.

Tips for Cooking Cencaru Fish with Stuffed Sambal for a Better Taste

If you want a more delicious sambal flavor, mash the ingredients. This method gives the sambal a slightly coarser texture and makes the ingredients more distinct when eaten.
The kesum leaves / midi shoots can be omitted. But try adding them, they taste really good. The aroma of kesum leaves gives a different flavor to the sambal and makes the smell more fragrant and spreadable.
If you are blending, do not blend all the tomatoes and onions. Half of them can be diced so that when you eat them, you can taste the texture of the onions and tomatoes. This texture also makes the sambal more interesting than if all the ingredients are blended too finely.
This Ikan Cencaru Sumbat Sambal can be fried and also baked. If you like the fish crispy, you can fry it until the outside reaches the desired level of crispiness. If you want a different way, bake the fish until cooked.
You can modify the recipe to suit your own taste and preferences. The level of spiciness, sweetness and saltiness of the sambal can also be adjusted before adding it to the fish.

Kesum Leaves Make It Taste More Special

The specialty of this Ikan Cencaru Sumbat Sambal recipe certainly lies in the use of kesum leaves. Although it can be ignored, the aroma of kesum leaves gives a different taste and smell to the sambal. Coupled with diced tomatoes and onions, every bite has a more interesting texture.

If you have cencaru fish at home and want to try a simple but quite appetizing dish, you can try this method. Add enough sambal, marinate for a while and choose whether to fry or bake it. It is perfect to enjoy with hot rice.