Tongkol Cabe Ijo: Mackerel Tuna with Green Chillies
Tongkol cabe ijo is a household favourite, consisting of fried mackerel tuna that’s then sauteed in a mix of green chillies, green tomatoes, shallots, and fresh Indonesian herbs.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 500 gr mackerel
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 8 shallots, peeled
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 4 big green chillies
- 5 small green chillies
- 2 small green tomatoes
- 2 cm galangal
- 2 cm ginger, peeled
- 2 salam leaves (Indonesian bay leaves)
- 1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
- Salt to taste
- 0.5 cup water
- Oil for deep frying and sautéing
Instructions
- 1
Clean and wash the fish thoroughly, cut into 3 or 4 pieces depending on the size, then sprinkle with salt and lemon juice.
- 2
Thinly slice: shallots, garlic, chillies, green tomatoes, ginger and galangal. Set aside.
- 3
Deep fry the fish until golden brown (around 4 minutes each side), set aside.
- 4
Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok over medium heat, and sauté the shallots and garlic for around 2 minutes until fragrant.
- 5
Add the green chillies, galangal, ginger and salam leaves, and fry for another 3 minutes.
- 6
Add water, salt and sweet soy sauce.
- 7
Add the fish, mix it with other ingredients.
- 8
Cook for another 10 minutes.
- 9
Add the green tomatoes, cook for 1 minute.
- 10
Turn off the heat and transfer the dish to a serving plate.