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eng Hu is known
to Kuching-ites as a method in which a kind of fish is grilled and has sambal
belacan lathered over it. Peng Hu is also known to most Kuching-ites as a kind
of anomaly in their food culture. You see it in almost every major food street but
no one really knows where or how it started. It just popped out of nowhere like
a 7-11 down the street, and everyone just accepted what it was and went along
with it.
The most common “Hu”
used, the Stingray is debatably what the first variation of this dish consisted
of. The stingray was the fish most commonly used as it was considered cheap,
most likely due to the lack of any natural flavour in its flesh. Due to its
mild flavour, enhancing said flavour was necessary and Sambal being a common
condiment, it was only natural that it was used on the Stingray.
Nowadays, the Stingray
isn’t the only fish associated with the Peng Hu moniker, as the variety of “panggang-ed”
fish has increased in number depending on availability and personal preference.
Peng Hu is
usually a tricky dish to order as its price in comparison to most dishes will
require you to share the cost with a few friends, which is why it is perfect
for late night suppers as one fish is usually never enough for a meal among
friends, but perfect if you need a snack to go along with a couple of beers.
The problem with
simple dishes like Peng Hu is that there are only so many things to mess up.
The fish and the sambal. If you mess up either one of the two, you are left
wishing for more; and if you mess both up, well you’d wish you never came out
in the first place. Imagine an overcooked chewy fish with dry tasteless sambal.
It’s every Supperhunters nightmare. Or mine at least.
Aunty Lillian
and her husband of, BBQ Fish and Barbeque Seafood despite them not really
serving anything BBQ, are in the business of getting both components right.
They have been doing so for little over a decade. 12 years this year in fact.
As most places
are, the price of the choice of fish is determined by its weight. The fish of
choice today is the Belokok fish, as it is known to be meaty and of few bones.
Let’s freshen things up, as we’ll try to throw the owners off by ordering
something they’re not amazing at. Key word here is TRY. SPOILER ALERT: We
failed. Fish was delish.
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| RM28.00 |
The fish came
and do not let the unusual look of the sambal deceive you as its colour is due
to the intense nature of the sambal. Its sambal has a hint of sweetness and
tang but still intense with the flavours pungent sambal.
The fish, simply
put has a mild clean flavour and is firm and moist. Perfect for the condiment
of the sambal.
To top it off,
the zest of lime is the perfect combination to lift the dish as the tangy
sambal compliments the firm and neutral protein of fish.
Peng Hu is a
simple dish that is easy to learn but hard to master. That is a fact that most
of us are used to, but with the right hands taking care of your meal, the
simple things become simply delicious.
Third Mile BBQ
Fish, Barbecue Seafood is open daily except Tuesdays from 6pm to 10pm.
Please follow the map below for directions.
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