We are back in Indonesia for a month, and one of the things we really love about Indonesia is the food! We are moored at a small island called Pulau Rubiah. The snorkelling here is fantabulous, as is the food! We have discovered a local delicacy called sate gurita (sate octopus). Delicious and tender, it awoke memories of our time with our boys at Gili Air when we sailed there for Christmas 2014. I cooked sate ikan, using some marlin we caught in Australia. It was part of a feast I cooked on the boat for a friend who wanted to film it.
While anchored off Gili Air (Lombok Indonesia) with our sons Jedd, Alex, Kye and two of their girlfriends, we had a visit from Jackie and her son Alexander. Jacqui was interested in filming a short video of us cooking up a storm on Thorfinn.
I hadn’t had time to think about what to cook and therefore had not shopped in Bali before we left. Before deciding what to cook, I had to look at what I had on the boat and then go ashore to see what I could purchase on the small island of Gili Air. In the tiny village, I found a shop selling some fresh produce and a minimal array of other supermarket goods. I choose some things I love to cook with – limes, ginger, garlic, chillies, galangal – while I gradually formulate an idea of what I would cook.
Back on the Thorfinn, I fine-tuned my proposed menu. When in Indonesia, do as the Indo’s… I decided to cook some Indonesian favourites. Ikan Bakar (grilled fish), sambal and sate ikan (fish satays).
So, while the boys enjoyed the swimming and snorkelling, and the girls chilled out on sunbeds with a cocktail, Dwayne and I cooked, and Jacqui filmed. It was a lot of fun, and when it was ready, the kids joined us on Thorfinn for a feast.
As we sat around Jedd’s surfboard (our makeshift table for the day), we enjoyed the sunset and the company of family and friends and reflected on how lucky we were.
Delicious Sate ikan
Ingredients
1 onion
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon of grated ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons of palm sugar
3 crushed garlic cloves
3 tablespoons of oil
1 kg of marlin fillet
1/2 teaspoon of sambal olek
3 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 1/4 cups coconut cream
3 Tablespoons of peanut butter
Method
Grated the onion into a sieve over a bowl. Use a spoon and press down on the grated onion to squeeze out the onion juice. Reserve the grated onion. Add the soy sauce, ginger, 1/2 tablespoon of palm sugar, 1/3 of the crushed garlic, two tablespoons of the oil and the marlin. Blend it well, cover and refrigerate until ready to skewer.
In a small saucepan, heat one tablespoon of oil and sauté the reserved grated onion for one minute. Add the remaining garlic and the sambal and cook for another minute. Then add the coriander, cumin, turmeric and one tablespoon of palm sugar, and continually stir as you cook for a further minute.
Add the coconut cream and gently heat until almost boiling. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the peanut butter. Once the peanut butter is well blended, return it to low heat and cook for about 5 minutes while stirring and checking it often. (Add water if needed).
Skewer cubes of marlin onto small skewers and cook on a hot grill or BBQ. Served with peanut sauce.
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