Ikan Jambal Sambal Tomat (Dried Salted Fish with Tomato Sambal)

Jambal, if I am not wrong (yeah, I could be misleading sometimes), is a dried salted fish coming from the type of Cod or Morue fish in French. Somewhere in West Java, this is the local supremacy side dish. I remember I passed this region by car with other trainees during my training period in the law faculty, but I don't remember where... We stopped and bought them, because we were seduced by the smell and the abundant quantities of dried salty fish, being displayed by the street hawkers within kilometres long (but I remember at that time, I was not a big fan, but one of us were so into this smelly stuffs so it was her idea that we stopped, actually!).

Now, it becomes one of my favourite dishes in Indonesia. When the chillies strike my tongue, my defence is to eat more rice and no wonder why many Indonesians are overweight :)) No...stop blaming my uncle Ronald Macdonalds for that, blame that tiny picky thing called chilly instead! And the best way to eat sambal with rice is by using our hands. Forget your silver spoons, God gives us not only rock and roll (yea..i love that tube from Kiss!), but also our hand!

INGREDIENTS:

• Dried salted Cod Fish/Morue, soaked in water (I soaked it for more than one day, and I changed the water more than twice, to reduce the saltiness), drain and deep fried until dry, set aside.
• 1 bruised lemon grass
• 1 Indonesian bay leaf
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 tomatoes, cut in wedges
• 2 tbs of water
• lemon wedges
• cooking oil

Spices, ground Coarsely the following ingredients:

• 2 shallots
• 1 garlic
• 3 red chillies
• 2 green chillies
• 1 tps sugar (optional, I omitted it since I like my sambal not too sweet)

DIRECTIONS:

1. stir fry the spices in a frying pan, and then add the kaffir bay leaves, and the lemon grass. Then add the tomatoes. Stir well, add the water, reduce heat and close the lid of the pan. Let cook for 3 – 5 minutes.
2. Open the lid, add the cod, stir, turn off the fire, and serve immediately by sprinkling lemon juice on the dish.