Fish as the main ingredient, pay attention to its freshness : CROXYPROXY
Nila Bumbu Pesmol, a West Javanese dish tasty and light
One of the many specialties of West Java is the tilapia pesmol. Not many people know that this processed fish comes from the Sunda region. This processed fish is popular with many people because of its fresh taste with a spicy feeling, thanks to which everyone always wants to eat it.
This processed fish is quite unique, since this dish tends to have a strong flavor of spices, but the taste is not too intense and remains fresh. The appearance of the menu of this fish dish is yellow, as it uses turmeric. For this reason, this processed fish is also known as yellow pepper.
Some of the spices and aromatics used in the production of this tilapia are turmeric, pieces of ginger, pecans and shallots. Not only does it give a strong and spicy taste, but the components of the spice also help to provide a pleasant aroma that closes the fishy aroma of the fish.
In fact, making this traditional West Javanese dish is not difficult. The steps you need to take are not too many. It’s just that there are some special tips to make this Nila pesmol dish delicious and appealing to the taste buds without any problems. This is followed by a complete exposition of recipes that can be practiced.
Fish as the main ingredient, pay attention to its freshness
The first thing before starting the cooking process, you need to prepare the main ingredient, namely tilapia. In fact, in this menu you can use any type of fish. But if you want to maintain the original West Javanese feel, you should only use tilapia. Be sure to choose fresh.
If you want to choose fresh fish, there are some simple tips. First of all, observe the smell of the fish of your choice. Fresh fish do not have a fishy smell that is too pungent to the nose. Fresh fish will give off the smell of water, which is still tolerable when inhaled with its aroma through the nose.
In addition to the aroma, you can also check the freshness of the fish through the color of the gills. Fresh fish always have gills, the color of which is fresh blood-red. It is different if the gills already look gray or brown, which means that the fish are no longer fresh, especially if you squeeze the flabby side of the abdomen.
Fresh fish are usually more elastic. From the color of the scales also differ. Fresh fish scales still look shiny and do not easily escape from the body. Meanwhile, the fish, which are silent for a long time, have pale scales and easily leave when kept. Also pay attention to the white fresh fish eyes.
If you have ensured a fresh selection of fish, now you can immediately start the process of processing tilapia as this West Javanese dish . Of course, before that, you need to thoroughly wash the fish in scales. Then smear the fish by squeezing the lime so that it does not have a fishy smell.
Prepare ingredients for yellow pesmol pepper
After choosing the fish, cleaning it, and also lubricating it with lime juice, now is the time to discuss the processing of tilapia as a typical West Javanese dish and its recipes. The necessary ingredients for making pesmol pepper are not too many. Surely you can easily get it on the market or elsewhere.
The ingredients you need are red and white onions. Each of them represents eight for onions, as well as four cloves of garlic. Then also prepare two pecans, then one segment of fingers for turmeric and pieces of ginger. These ingredients for the delicate seasoning of pesmol later.
There is another ingredient for making yellow pepper. Among them there are two leaves for bay leaf, then one galangal segment of the fingers, lemongrass up to two stems, and be sure to add ten red cayenne peppers. This will make this Pesmol West Javanese dish even tastier.
Also, be sure to provide about 150 ml of mineral water, then spices in the form of chicken broth or powdered mushroom broth, salt and granulated sugar, so that later the taste of the pesmol seasoning you make will be balanced and move the tongue. You can also add a little spice to complement it.
Prepare fish and also delicious tender spices
After preparing the various food ingredients typical of this region of Western Java, you move on to the next step, namely, the processing of fish, and also, first, the delicate seasoning. Unlike other fish, this pesmol tilapia uses fish that have been fried in advance so as not to be too fishy.
Be sure to use enough oil to fry the fish and wait until it is hot. The purpose of using this dose of oil is that the fish will be fried by the air fryer method so that the fish can cook evenly. Fry until the fish is golden or yellow-brown, but do not dry out too much.
A tip for frying fish to prevent their explosion is to sprinkle with wheat flour the fish, which are fried in a hot fire. If the fish has boiled, drain it and set aside in advance. Now it’s time for you to make a gentle spice by smoothing pecan nuts, turmeric, pieces of ginger and onions.
If it is smooth and evenly mixed, you can start stewing the delicate spices until the smell smells. When sautéing, be sure to add bay leaf ingredients, pressed lemongrass and galangal to make the aroma more fragrant and tasty. Use only low heat so that it does not burn.
It’s time to switch to pesmola soup for fish
The West Javanese dish and its recipes are actually quite simple. If the delicate seasoning is fragrant and has finished sautéing, pour the mineral water that you prepared earlier. Boil and stir until it boils and the marinade boils. If it was cooked, add the remaining ingredients.
The other ingredients that remain are some cayenne fruits, which should be cooked whole, then start the process of seasoning with mushroom or chicken broth, some salt sticks and sprinkle with granulated sugar to taste. Make sure that the flavor correction is just from deliciousness, salty, spicy, even the sweetness is balanced, so it is delicious.
If you feel that it is quite cooked, now is the time to put the fried tilapia in pesmola soup. Make sure that the fish is thoroughly wrapped in pesmola soup and cook until the water shrinks and absorbs into the meat of the tilapia. Soon, the typical West Javanese dish is ready to be enjoyed.
If the pesmol soup has become significantly smaller and absorbed into the fish, and the fish is already yellowish due to pesmol pepper, you can already pick it upand putit on the prepared plate. Make sure that you do not actually finish the pesmol soup so that this dish is not too dry.
To serve it, you can add some other ingredients such as pieces of star fruit or green tomatoes, which not only promote the presentation of the dish, but also give a sour and fresh flavor when consuming this traditional Sundan dish.
Now the menu of pesmol tilapia or yellow pepper is ready to serve. You can taste together with your family or pu those closest to you. Isn’t it easy to make it? Recipes for food typical of West Java and other regions of origin tend to be tasty and easy to try.
