Bau Ambu｜West Sulawesi

Part 10/38 in a series exploring one dish from each province of Indonesia.

Bau peapi often turns up as an example of Mandar cuisine, but this variant from Pamboang differs slightly in that it uses coconut milk and lemongrass. I think the type of fish might be different too. Not a huge difference there, but something a little extra just for fun.

There’s a bonus recipe here in the form of jepa, a cassava flatbread that’s typical of the region too and often accompanies both bau peapi and bau ambu.

Adapted from here, here, and here.

☒ UNTESTED

Ingredients

Bau Ambu

• 1 fish (houndfish or similar), chopped into large chunks
• 200? ml coconut milk
• ___ ml water
• 5 Indonesian onions (1.5 shallots), finely chopped
• 4 spring onions, chopped
• 8 red bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
• 1 handful amboshi
• 5 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp of turmeric powder
• ½ tsp ground white pepper
• 1 stalk of lemongrass, bruised
• salt to taste

Jepa

• ___ g cassava

Cooking

Sauté everything except the fish, coconut milk, and water until fragrant.

Now add them in and mix well.

Cook until the fish is done (~15 minutes)

Peel, wash, and grate the cassava.

Squeeze it through a cloth like making a potato rosti.

Dry fry a flat disc of it squeezed between two frying pans for 5 minutes.