Arsik—A Traditional Batak Dish

I'd like to share with you a recipe from ethnic Batak—the largest ethnic group in Sumatra Island. I have grown to fond of this special traditional dish and even enjoy making it myself for years.

But first of of let me introduce to you the two special spices compulsory for this recipe as they create a distinct flavor to the dish . Two of these most important spices are Andaliman (a kind of Sichuan Pepper) and Asam Cekala (the seed pod of Torch Ginger)
(you can click the italics to go to the specific article about 
these spices.

Andaliman is used for it's distinct citrus flavor and the tongue-tingling sensation it creates and Asam Cekala is also used for its distinct and acidic flavor. 

The halves bud below are also part of the Etlingera Elatior plant which is often used in South East Asian dishes. It's famous in Thai and Indonesian cuisine.

So, today I will teach you how to make Fish Arsik.

The ingredients you need :
2 medium size of Gold fish/Tilapia/Carp/Snapper (slice the bodies into 4 pieces each and halve the heads)
5 cloves of red onion
3 cloves of garlic
50 gram of red chili
10 whole chili paddy (optional)
1 small piece of galangal (crushed)
1 stalk of lemongrass (take only 10 cm long from the head, crushed)
a knuckle of turmeric (about 2 cm)
3 candle nuts
1 tsp Andaliman
5 Asam Cekala/Torch Ginger seed pods (crushed)
a handful of Batak Chives (Bawang Batak)
1 Torch Ginger bud (halves, optional)
8-10 Kaffir lime leaves
100 gram of long bean/eggplant (optional)
1 lime
2 liters of water

How to:
1. Clean the fish, slice the meat and halve the heads. Sprinkle lime juice on the fish. Refrigerate it while preparing the spices.

2. Clean the chives and trim the tip of the leaves, and clean other spices and veggies. set asside.

3. Grind together red onion, garlic, red chili, Andaliman, turmeric, and the candle nuts in the blender.

4. Pour the ground spices into an alumunium skillet (or any skillet you like), Arrange the long beans/eggplant on the skillet. Pour the water on top of it. Insert crushed galangal and lemongrass, torch ginger seed pods and the kaffir lime leaves.

5. Cook it and let it simmer for 10 minutes. The objective is to allow the Torch Ginger seeds pods to render the acidic juice which will prevent the fish meat to disintegrate from a long processing time. Then, insert the fish and add more water to cover the fish as needed.


6. Turn down the fire, insert the chili paddy, put a lid to cover the skillet and let it brews with low heat until the sauce is about to dry. (about 45 mins - 1 hour).

7. After it's done, let it sit for several hours for better flavor (as the spices saturated in the meat). I usually cook it at night and eat it the next day, or cook it early morning and have it for lunch.

8. Serve it with steamed rice.

9. You can also substitute fish with pork (shoulder, tenderloin or the belly meat).If you don't like it too greasy, make sure to trim the fat if you're using the belly meat. 

Pork Arsik (Belly Meat)