Gurami Bakar Kecap - Sweet Grilled Gourami

one two three..

have you see the sea ?

four five seven...

I woke up at six to make it quick

eight nine ten...

then I spent my hours looking the sea shell

Fish dish always becomes my top three choices from any offered dishes. And I feel so lucky to live in this country for there are lot variation of fish dishes by name, cooking and its flavor, despite some of those may quite pricey. Don't count it. If you could get a fresh fish or seafood dishes and tasteful, then it's worth. Even some places are also famous for loyal portion to satisfy your hunger and got you overdose. Now, let's talk about the cooking style, for I do not need to tell what kind of popular fish or seafood eaten here, it's all same but only named. So aside from commonly Chinese cooking style or boiled together with rich spices into soup such gulai, curry to even looks lumpy for hiding in sauce, fillet shaped, fried in buttery or greed satisfaction into grilled, this one was took Sunda style which is representing of Sundanese people of West Java. Sundanese cuisine, as it called is characterize with freshness and displays of all flavors from sourness, hot, spicy, mild sweetness, salty to savory, the meat are popularly grilled or fried, the warm rice is packaged on banana leaf and sometimes it's best eaten by hand and always siding with fresh / raw vegetables called Lalapan and Sambal.  The complete detail are here. This one, too, was grilled in sweet soy sauce and served with raw / fresh vegetables and savory sambal as side dishes.

Oh dear fish..

I hear the song of the sea

Bang into the ocean

I'm swallowed by the beauty of pearl

Are you a mermaid?

Super good, it always raising my appetite when the fascinating brown color that coming from the caramelize of the sweet soy sauce becomes shiny then sticky into the fish skin, and later bringing up the smoke turned into savory aroma. If you're satay / BBQ lover and enjoy this cooking process, you already know about that feeling. Hmm... it's a good therapy and maybe gonna be a happiness overdose for my tummy. 

The fish used here are Gourami, the fresh water type. It is so typically that many seafood restaurant provides them fresh, still alive until be ordered. Sometimes, the Sundanese restaurant here also breeding them in a pool, located in back side or near the paddy field, since Sundanese concept are giving natural village or landscape concept. It a good experience though, if you always eating in luxury restaurant that maybe served this fish (in Chinese style, maybe..) so you can gain another luxury to blend yourself in natural landscape and I promise you to feel blissful. Here is the pic of those concept (the roof are using bamboo and covered with strong bamboo rug giving a strong nuance, while the open air/outdoor looks wakes a warm athmosphere. And if you ever heard Sunda instrumental music such Angklung, it is perfectly welcoming you) Aside was paddy field and the center of it was a large fish pool and it so calming view while eating and smell the aroma of nature). This fish being the most favored in order and even myself never bored too. It has the fat meat (4 - 5 kg are great), smooth texture, quite chewy but mild in mouth execution, somehow we can feel sweet scent at a glance. Don't worry about the thorn since they were bigger so we could easily to separate it quickly (still, watch it carefully). The other best part to enjoy, their fins and tail are also edible, so crunchy when fried and you can sip all sweetness of the sauce when it goes grilled. Still, need to cook well to get the good consistency of its flavor and avoiding the soil odor came from fish (actually depend on its origin. If they breeding in the river or lake, you may feel a light soil scent). Furthermore, since this dish is good friend with warm rice and pleasant companion along with the side dishes like raw-fresh vegetables (Lalapan). Generally we get some slice of fresh cucumber, cabbage, long bean and fragrant Javanese basil (Kemangi) and last but not least, Sambal. You can using Sambal Terasi, Sambal Bawang or the simple one, Sambal Kecap made from mixed of sweet soy sauce with mashed (green) pepper, so it's like you adding more level of sweetness and spicy in one moment.