Kelah Celok – The Baweanese “National” dish

Kelah Celok Tongkol

 

"Kelah Celok" is an authentic Baweanese dish. "Kelah" is the Baweanese word for dish and "Celok" means sour. There are two types of Kelah Celok ; fish and vegetable.

 

Kelah Celok Bechok

The fish "Kelah Celok" is a type of dish by which big fish such as Tuna, Red Snapper, or Humphead Wrasse (Bechok) is sliced thinly and cook in a boiling pot filled with water, tamarind juice, salt, blended fresh red chilli, green chilli, garlic, turmeric, onion, shrimp paste (belacan) and few corriander seeds (ketumbar).

Humphead Wrasse (Bechok)

 

Smaller fish such as Gold banded Scad (Selar Kuning), Herring (Tamban), or Indian Mackerel (Kembong) is the substitute for the big fish. However, in cooking the smaller fish, usually fresh sliced pineapple is added into the boiling pot. During preparation of this dish on the dining table, few stalk of small fresh chillies (chilli padi) are added into the bowl. Lime juice is squeeze on to the dish to make it tastier. The dish is to be served steamy hot with steam white rice .

 

Herring (Tamban)

The other type of "Kelah Celok" is prepared using vegetable such as long beans or ladies fingers. When cooking long beans in "Kelah Celok", the beans are cut into smaller pieces and added into a boiling pot filled with water, tamarind juice, salt, sugar, blended fresh red chilli, onion, shrimp paste and few corriander seeds. Together with steam white rice, this dish goes well with fried fish such as sliced Tuna or Kembong. Sambal belacan with cucumber make the meal appealing.
 

Celok Bendi dish  

Sambal belacan is grilled belacan pounded with fresh red chilli and sugar. It goes well with cucumber. Sometimes it is prepared with mashed hardboiled eggs and shredded green sour mango to add more flavors to the meal. The Baweanese from my Pondok called this side dish as "Penchek-penchek".
 

Kelah Celok Otok

It has been quite awhile since I last ate rice with "Kelah Celok Otok" ('Otok' is the Baweanese word for long beans) with fried tuna fish and "Penchek-penchek". I hope my mum will prepare them during my next visit to her home! Endek, Endek, Endek....nyaman Ongku!