These things called solok lada might not look much, but they sure are yummy! Believe me. It's basically chili peppers (not just any kind, it has to be this special kind, over here they just call it 'cili solok', referring to the end product, fish, coconut, shallots, ginger, garlic, lemon grass, salt n sugar to taste and coconut milk. I've gotta do some research on the history of solok lada before I can tell you how this recipe came about and how the name was derived. One thing for sure, lada means chili peppers and solok, well we maybe because stuff the chili peppers? Maybe... Below are the steps required to make your very own mouth watering solok lada... BTW, being a traditional dish, there were no exact measurements in this recipe, we did it the old fashioned way -- by sight n by smell...
The ingredients... The main players : the chili peppers. as u can see there, the one in the plastic bag (1/2kg) are the original players, were specially brought in from their native land, Kelantan while the pre-packed longer ones are from Cameron Highlands bought @ the local grocers (Jaya Jusco - RM2.50/pack).
FINELY POUNDED:
Shallots (we used around 1 cereal bowl)
Ginger 2 1/2 - 3 adult thumbs size (depending on how big your thumbs are....)
2 whole Garlic, not 2 cloves... yes, it might sound a lot, but trust me, it's not.
5 sticks lemon grass
3 finely shredded coconuts minus 2 handfuls
2 handfuls shredded coconut - toast them a bit till they're brown and fragrant before pounding
fish - any type u want (We used around 17-20 palm sized mackerel) -- poached n deboned
READY?
First things first, wash the chili peppers and slit it all the way down. Don't cut it, u just want and opening for you to de-seed the peppers and stuff the fish in. De-seeding gives you more space for the filling and also reduce the spice-o-meter of the peppers.
The empty pepper cavity... U can also wash the insides to further de-seed the peppers (believe me, those seeds have a mind of their own and are kind of hard to get rid of.
The fish which has been poached, deboned and pounded... You could also use a food processor if you don't have a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, you could also use your fingers (make sure they're clean n be prepared for the soreness in the joints later on).
Combine the shallots, ginger, garlic and lemon grass and mix mix mix...
Next you add in the toasted and pounded coconut and mix some more...
Now, dump all those wonderful, full of flavor and aromatic spices into your fish and start mixing again.
This is roughly what it looks like... Well, it's not going to change much later on in appearance...
Add in the coconut...
Don't forget to add the salt and a pinch of sugar to taste...Now we're all set to go go go...
Stuff the chili peppers as much as you can with the filling.
Arrange them nicely in a pot.
Add coconut milk.
You don't need alot. We used about a cup of coconut milk and some water. Cover and cook until the peppers are tender and the coconut milk should just simmer slightly, roughly around 10-15 minutes (maybe more, depending on how much coconut milk you use)...
Time to enjoy!
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