Grilled Tilapia With Balinese Kencur Sambal

Balinese people has so many unique sambal, I have a few to name as my favorite, sambel bawang, the everyday sambal that Balinese enjoy on a regular basis, sambel sere or lemongrass sambal, I hope to share the recipe one day, sambel limo, which is extremely fragrant and delicious. I really hope that I can plan the tree of this special Citrus Amblycarpa (Nasnaran Mandarin) one day.

As for this sambel cekuh in Balinese language or sambal kencur, in Indonesian language (Bahasa), is uniquely Balinese, it is quite an acquired taste. People from other island might wonder why would one want kencur sambal? But Balinese love it, they even add this fresh pungent root, it looks like the skinnier version of ginger, see photo here for nasi goreng (fried rice).

Grilled Tilapia With Balinese Kencur Sambal

~elra~

5 (about 1 ½ pounds) Tilapia fillet

1 tbs coriander seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
5 cloves garlic
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs fish sauce

Juice of 1 (or 2) lime, or lemon
Kencur sambal, recipe follows
handful fresh lemon basil or Thai basil, to serve

• Pound together coriander seeds, turmeric and garlic to make a smooth paste or bumbu. Add vegetable oil, fish sauce and lime or lemon juice, mix well. Rub the tilapia fillets with this mixture, let marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to an hour.

• Grilled until cooked through. Transfer onto serving dish, spoon the Kencur sambal directly on top. Scatter the lemon basil or Thai basil if using. Serve with steam Jasmine rice, and simple saute green vegetable.

Kencur Sambal:

3 large shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 red jalapeno pepper
5 Thai chili pepper, optional
2 large Roma tomatoes. quartered

3 whole kemiri nuts*
1 tsp roasted shrimp paste*

1 tsp kencur powder (I hope I can find the fresh kencur one day)*
1 tbs fish sauce*
2 tbs vegetable oil
handful cherry tomatoes, quartered (optional)

salt and pepper, to taste

* Available in Asian market

• Using about 1 ½ tablespoon vegetable oil, fry the shallots, garlic, red jalapeno pepper, Thai chili pepper (if using), and Roma tomatoes until the soft. Transfer to a food processor. Return the frying pan to the stove, fry kemiri nuts with the remaining ½ tbs oil until slightly golden. add this nuts to a food processor, add roasted shrimp paste, process to make a smooth bumbu (spice paste). Return this bumbu to frying pan, add kencur powder, saute until fragrant, add the cherry tomato pieces (if using), fish sauce, salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

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