Keropok Lekor Terengganu

I can't believe I made Terengganu Lekor !!!  Inspired by Kathy of Small Kucing and Kristy of My Little Space....I took some from Kathy's and some from Kristy and guess what, I got a good combination and the lekor turned out wonderful.  I thought the making entails lot of work but actually it was the washing up that is tiring :)  but it was worth all the efforts.  It was really a delicious snack and what more homemade ones are much more healthier .  Homemade ones are not so fishy as to the one being sold by the traders, reason being those sold ones, they use all kinds of fishes thus giving them the unique taste and aroma :p  I suppose it is the unique taste and aroma that people prefers those sold ones.

I used Ikan Mambong thus my lekor doesn't have that unique fishy aroma but the texture is almost the same.  Infact I prefer the texture of my homemade ones...has a springy feel that is perfect for me and hubby.  Too chewy , it will be hard for us to chew on.  On the whole, I give myself 8/10 rating :p

For my overseas readers who have not heard of this Lekor, here is an excerpt taken from Wikipedia for your information.

Lekor or Keropok lekor is a traditional Malay fish cracker snack originated from the state of Terengganu, Malaysia. It is also called fish sausage, fish stick, or fish fritters. It is made from fish and sago flour and seasoned with salt and sugar. It is slightly greyish in colour and tastes fishy. The fishy smell increases when it cools down. The origin of the word "Lekor" is said to be derived from Terengganu Malay which means "roll".

It is usually made by grinding fish or vegetables into a paste, mixing it with sago and then deep-frying it. It comes in three main forms: lekor (which is long and chewy), losong (steamed) and keping (which is thin and crispy). It is frequently served with dipping sauces.

There are two types of Keropok Lekor; Keropok Lekor Goreng and Keropok Lekor Keping. Keropok Lekor Goreng is shaped into sausage size and tastes more chewy, whereas Keropok Lekor Keping is shaped into slices and has crispier texture. Keropok Lekor is eaten with Terengganu’s homemade chili sauce.

step 1 - remove guts , wash and  slice two sides of the fish

step 2:  use spoon to scrape off meat from the bone and fish skin

step 3:   place fish meat in blender, add in salt and pepper and a few pieces of ice

and blend into smooth paste, take out the fish paste and put into a mixing bowl

 add in the flour mixture and knead until the fish paste leaves the side of the bowl

step 4:  Divide fish dough into several portions 

roll them into rope shape and coat them with cooking oil ( I used rice bran oil )

arrange them on greased pan.

step 5:  Cook them in boiling water and once they float up, they are done,

coat with cooking oil to prevent sticking.  Frozen them for future use

You can eat them either boiled or deep fried.  I tried both method and 

it was GOOD eating them boiled or deep fried. 

crispy on the outside and springy chewy on the inside...YUMMZ!

Keropok Lekor Terengganu - from Kathy and Kristy

ingredients

400 gm fish meat from1 kg of Ikan Mambong 

flour mixture

120 gm sago flour

60 gm tapioca flour

20 gm all purpose flour

2 tsp of salt

1 tsp ikan bilis granules 

1 tsp pepper

4-5 pieces of ice blocks ( 3/4inch X 3/4inch )

Method:

Please refer to steps from pictures above

Enjoy !

Beer Battered Anchovies

Finally, I managed to get the fresh anchovies from Jusco fish section, it is also known as Ikan Bilis Bought half a kilo back ! After cleaning them up, the guts and head goes to making Fish Amino Acid (fertiliser ) for the plants. This delectable finger food is a keeper.  Great accompaniment for chilled beer !  This is the second time using Pharmaskitchen 's Beer Batter.  The first time I tried his recipe was a few weeks ago ,using the silver baby pomfrets.  Now I can really taste his batter recipe using fresh anchovies.  Crisps and crunchy and flavorful !  Even the Wild Boar loves it, for a man who doesn't like to eat fish.  He ate the whole anchovy , the bones are crunchy too. Kruup kruup kruup and down it with a chilled beer. A must try recipe :) or you will miss something good!

mix the dry ingredients with a chilled beer till you get

the right consistency to coat the anchovies

put in the cleaned and wiped dry (with paper towel)

fresh anchovies into the beer battered

before deep frying them in rice bran oil or vegetable oil

look how light and crunchy the anchovies are....

this beer battered is commendable

I deep fried some Japanese pumpkin slices too with the remnant

beer batter

you can serve this as a stand alone dish for dinner or lunch

or as a finger food

Beer Battered Anchovies - adapted from Pharma'sKitchen

ingredients:-

12 Anchovies - remove head and guts

5 tablespoons of Rice Flour

2 tablespoons of Glutinous Rice Flour

1/2 teaspoon of Baking Powder

Salt

Pepper

Smoked Paprika Powder

1 can of Beer

Rice Bran Oil or vegetable oil

Preparation:

First, rinse and pat dry the fresh anchovies with a kitchen towel. Place the anchovies in a bowl and add some salt, pepper and smoked paprika to marinade them. Leave to marinade for 10-15 minutes.

To the bowl containing the anchovies, further add the rice flour, glutinous rice flour, baking powder, more salt and pepper. Lastly, a generous amount of smoked paprika powder and mix well. The flour mixture should be slightly red due to the paprika powder.

In a deep pan or a small frying pot, heat up some sunflower oil. While the oil is heating up, open your can of beer and pour about a quarter can of beer into the mixture. Mix well and add the beer in small amounts until the mixture is well incorporated into a thick but smooth batter. (You can always opt for water is you are do not have beer at home).

Check on the oil, and if the oil is ready, place the anchovies into the frying pot and fry until they are golden brown. Once golden brown, remove from the pot and place the anchovies onto a plate lined with kitchen towel to remove the excess oil.

Enjoy!