Ikan jacket

Dear readers,

We're having ikan cencaru belah belakang for lunch today. Students in hostels call this dish as 'ikan jacket'.

One day, in a girls' hostel in Kuantan:

Warden : Lauk apa makan hari ni?
Student : Ikan jacket, puan....

Warden : Ah sedap lah tu, belah belakang kan?

Student : Taklah.... emak masak kat rumah lagi best. Siap dengan air lada

Warden : Komplen, komplen

Student :(Hari-hari ikan jacket, keras pulak tu!!!!)

See, the cencaru has a tough skin (so called 'jacket') and to eat the flesh, you have to pull it. Tarik... If you like you can pull off the skin before you cook it, then fry or make whatever dish like masak asam, goreng cili pecah etc. But to make this ikan jacket belah belakang, you have to make 2 slit at the back of the fish, don't pull off the skin. Then stuff in or sumbat some pounded cili merah, bawang putih(garlic), bit of halia(ginger) and kunyit((turmeric). But first marinate the fish with some kunyit powder and bit of salt.Then deep fry. To make the sauce (for cicah) pound some fresh red cili with bawang putih.Mix well with

light soya sauce (cap kipas....lah) . Don't forget a bit of salt, sugar (bit also) and lime juice. from limau sambal (the snall ones) Best nyah..I tell you...Missy like this ikan cencaru belakang, can finish two ekor you know.Ha,ha, ha. (but don't take too much,you know, 'they' say cencaru 'bisa')

But Princess Amal usual dish will be ikan goreng kunyit, no jacket for her please...no way...