Wednesday 14 December 2016

Mango Kerabu with Ikan Bilis


The other day, I looked at my garden in hopeless resignation. It was one big mess.

Weeds were growing everywhere. Some of my plants needed trimming and I really have to rearrange some of the empty pots (meaning pots containing dead plants).

While inspecting my sorry excuse of a garden, something caught my eye.


Ah! A bunga kantan (torch ginger flower). Isn't it pretty? That means only one thing. I must make kerabu because I love adding bunga kantan to kerabu.


This kerabu was bookmarked for quite some time. It was just a matter of buying unripe mango and getting to work making one of my favorite salads.

Is kerabu easy to make? Yes and no. Yes, because the ingredients are easily available and the method is not complicated. No, because there is a whole lot of work peeling, slicing, grating and pounding. And in this case, some frying. So if lazy is your middle name, forget it hah..hah...


I made this on a public holiday when I had 100 things going on at home. I cleared the garden, I did some food prep for the week, I fried some fish, I did this, I did that and to cut the long story short, I had to give up doing my hair. Hah!


I always do that to myself. Self-inflicted torture. I overachieve and end up wasting my day off. But well, after all that hassle, I get to eat good food. And that is always the best reward.

Kerabu Mangga Ikan Bilis
Recipe source : Adapted from 20 Resipi Kerabu Sheila Rusly (page 36)

For the salad :
- 2 unripe mangoes, shredded
- 1 big onion, thinly sliced
- 1 red chili, thinly sliced
- 6 cherry tomatoes, sliced
- 1 bunga kantan, thinly sliced
- A generous handful of ikan bilis, fried till crispy

For the dressing :
- 6 shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 red chilies
- 1 teaspoon belacan
- juice of 1 lime or more to taste
- salt and sugar to taste

Method :
1. To make the dressing, pound shallots, garlic, chilies and belacan into a paste.
2. Add lime juice, sugar and salt to the paste, mix and taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
3. Put all the salad ingredients into a mixing bowl and add dressing. Toss to mix. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Serve immediately.

46 comments:

  1. Yes, the torch ginger flower is indeed very pretty...

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    1. It is so pretty that I felt so sayang to harvest it...

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  2. Oh my goodness, you grow bunga kantan in your garden? That is fantastic! You know I have to resort to frozen bunga kantan imported from Thailand. Well, better than nothing I guess. I sure love your mango kerabu cos I love anything with bunga kantan! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Oh yes, but it hardly flowers. I planted it hoping that I can get a steady supply of bunga kantan because sometimes it is not available at the supermarket.

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  3. Lazy may be my middle name sometimes but I see this recipe does not involve any cooking...so yeah! ;) I can make ikan bilis to crispy perfection in my microwave oven, so no messy frying or washing of pan involved...hehe! ;D

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    1. Well, that's great and you can go ahead and make this kerabu :)

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  4. With bunga kantan this mango kerabu would be extra fragrant. So tasty, can eat many bowls of rice.

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    1. Yes, very fragrant. That's why I love bunga kantan.

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  5. Menu ni memang jarang sangat berlaku di dapur i, PH.... Macam tak tau, kan i lebih suka menu yg cepat siap haha....

    Tapi suka je makan, kalau ada depan mata. Kerabuh kerang dengan togey, kerabu perut lembu. Aduhhhh PH....mana nak cari ni?

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    1. hah..hah.. memang leceh lah nak buat kerabu. Tapi tak pe lah, Hainom boleh makan kat restoran.

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  6. Wow, you had an amazing day!! And I love your sense of humour... Anyway, you had a great reward - this food looks so beautiful that I will give it a try, soon - love all these ingredients.

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  7. This Mango Kerabu is my favourite Thai appetizer. I didn't know that we had to add Bunga Kantan inside! No wonder the taste is always good with power!

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    1. Bunga kantan is optional but I added because I love the aroma.

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  8. delicious super tempting food olweys the best reward eveh la..

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    1. Yes, Husna. For me, food is always the best reward hah..hah..

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  9. Oooooo...I love this! Drooling plus plus!!!

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    1. Mango kerabu is always irresistible :)

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  10. Wow! You have bunga kantan in your garden?? Nice!!

    Lovely recipe.

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    1. Yes, but it flowers once in a blue moon.

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  11. Cuz, I think it is in our gene, do this do that do this do that...self inflicted torture then didnt do what we planned to do during the weekends!

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    1. Aiyo, you are like that too! Then confirm lah, it's in our genes >.<

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  12. The preparation works are tedious but the end product can be finished within minutes :P

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  13. Mango Kerabu.. a very appetizing dish! Must order when eating Thai.. .

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  14. Wow kerabu yg ada bunga kantan ni mmg terbaik lah PH wangi sedapur ni kan, Kaknoor pun dok berangan nk buat kerabu sampai tua dah bunga kantan hahaha dah kembang semangkok bunga kantan sabo je lah

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    1. PH tahu, Kak Noor pun peminat tegar bunga kantan. Tapi PH punya berbunga sekali sekala aje.

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  15. This is one of my favourite kerabus..
    I normally will add kacang to add that extra crunch ..sedap..
    betul tu the xtra work is the shredding of mango & tumbuk bahan2 yang lain...tapi lepas tu boleh makan denagn nikmat..:)

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    1. Ayu, I forgot about the kacang. Next time I want to put because it adds nice flavor too besides the crunch.

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  16. Bunga kantan is such a pretty flower! Mine still havent bloomed til now ah....:P

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    1. Mine blooms once in a blue moon. Don't know how long till I can eat another bunga kantan.

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  17. I love this I love this!! But not too spicy for me cause cannot eat too much la like that, haha!

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    1. This one not too spicy because I did not add cili padi. I like spicy but cannot be too spicy hee..hee...

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  18. Phong Hong,
    I'm salivating looking at these pictures. Refreshing tangy spicy salad with crispy ikan bilies. So appetising!

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    1. Hi Karen! It's one of my favorite kerabu.

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  19. I think can use peeling instead of thinly slicing method, more or less the same and easier, right? :P

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    1. Hmm..can also lah. I have tried peeling method with carrots and cucumbers and it works :)

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  20. Hi Phong Hong, very busy and didn't have time to visit blogs. My mom undergone appendicitis op at age 85. How I wish I can have this lovely, appetising kerabu after spending days at the hospital with my mom.

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    1. Hi Kimmy! Oh dear, I hope your mum is recovering well. Not to worry about visiting, focus on your mum. Take care, Kimmy :)

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