Recipe and photos by Helen K. M. Manik
Arsik is an Indonesian fish dish of the Batak Toba people and Mandailing people of North Sumatra, usually using the common carp (known in Indonesia as 'ikan mas' (gold fish)).
Distinctively Batak elements of the dish are the use of torch ginger fruit ('asam cikala'), and 'andaliman' (Indonesian szechuan pepper). Commonly Indonesian spices such as shallots, garlic, ginger, fresh turmeric root and chili are also used.
Andaliman, essential for the distinctive taste of the dish, is known to grow only in the Batak highlands above 1500 metres of North Tapanuli and Samosir, hence this dish is regarded as specifically of the Batak Toba and Mandailing, who dwell in these areas.
(source: wikipedia)
Ingredients to be paste:
10 shallots
4 cloves garlic
6 toasted candlenuts
10 red chilies
3 cm gingerroot, peeled
3 cm galangal
2 tbsp andaliman
1 teaspoon ground toasted coriander
3 cm turmeric root, peeled
2 tomatoes
salt to taste
Other ingredients include:
3 medium size gold fish (in this recipes we used 9 king fish steaks instead)
6 bay leaves
15 lemongrass, bruised (the white parts have been separated for making ground paste above)
3-5 asam cikala
100 grams bawang batak (lokio)
2 pieces asam kandis
Directions:
In a deep saucepan, arrange all 15 lemongrasses, asam cikala, bawang batak, asam kandis and bay leaves as the base of arsik.
In a food processor, grind all the ingredients to be paste. Place the fish pieces inside the saucepan on the lemongrasses etc and pour the paste mixture.
Put the lid of saucepan on top and cook in medium flame until boil. Once it's boiled, slow the heat and simmer until the liquid almost dry on a very low flame. Serve with steam rice.
