Culinary Corner: Satay Bandeng

Satay Bandeng (Photo Courtesy:  wisataseru.com)

In case you plan to visit Banten, do not forget to try a typical menu of Banten, the satay bandeng. The menu has been around since the imperial era of Banten five centuries ago.

Perception of bandeng is that the flesh is sweet and delicious, but the spines are small and many, which are very disturbing. But this satay bandeng, we can enjoy it without having worry to mess around with the thorns problem.

The ways of making this delicious food is very complex. Firts, the fish is pounded to separate spines with meat. Then the thorn pulled out of the fish's body. Furthermore, fish meat removed without destroying the skin.

Meat that has been issued subsequently destroyed, then mixed with various spices (every chef has a secret recipe mix), then inserted back into the skin of the fish with a bamboo splinter thin as a handle. Then smeared with secret herbs as well. Lol .. to many secret?

Anyway, do not miss trying this menu if you visit Banten later.

What Bandeng? You Asked

In english, you call it milkfish.

The milkfish (Chanos chanos) is the sole living species in the family Chanidae. (About seven extinct species in five additional genera have been reported.) The Hawaiian name is awa, without initial glottal stop, not to be confused with ‘awa, with initial glottal stop, the name for Kava (Piper methysticum).

Scientific classification

Kingdom   : Animalia

Phylum     : Chordata

Class        : Actinopterygii

Order        : Gonorynchiformes

Family      : Chanidae

Genus       : Chanos

                        Lacépède, 1803

Species    : C. chanos

Binomial name

Chanos chanos