Timor-Leste (aka East Timor) is a tiny nation that takes up the eastern half of the island of Timor (naturally). The other half of Timor is claimed by Indonesia. Being in an interesting geographical position, its cuisine is influenced by East Asian and Indonesian food as well as Oceanic cooking. The country also had to fight for independence from Portugal, so there are definitely some influences from Portuguese cuisine as well. The dish I chose is called ikan sabroko, which would normally be made with a whole fish--I used slabs of tofu instead.
The first step is making the marinade/paste. It starts with whole basil leaves (grown myself!)
The recipe I used did not call for tamarind paste, but there are lots of Timorese recipes that use tamarind (lamb and tamarind stew, tamarind barbecue sauce, etc) so I figured I'd throw some in there.
Habaneros are usually the only chili spicier than a serrano that we can get at the grocery store nearest to us so that's what I usually end up using in place of scotch bonnet or birds eye chilis. I used a rubber glove just in case! I usually don't end up feeling the capsaicin until I rub my eyes or nose later. Not fun. I put one habanero in the marinade and the other sprinkled on top.
Other ingredients in my marinade include lemongrass paste, ginger, turmeric, and cashews. The cashews being included reminds me of Indonesian sambal, which often includes candlenuts.
Okay...I know what this looks like. It looks like baby diarrhea...but I can assure you it tasted better than it looked. I think the addition of a green bell pepper or just less of the tamarind would help the color not be so, you know, poop-like.
Looks even less appealing slathered on hunks of soy! Traditionally the fish would be wrapped in a banana leaf, but I just used parchment paper.
I cut the habanero into tiny pieces so it wouldn't be too overwhelming.
After baking, the marinade firms up and dries out a bit and looks a little more like food and a little less like poop.
I kept it pretty simple, with just some broccoli and brown rice served on the side. The marinated tofu ended up tasting pretty good! I liked the basil flavor as the base, mixed with the tanginess of the tamarind and the lemongrass.
Recipes Used: Ikan Sabroko
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