Indonesia - Pepes Ikan and Es Alpukat

Unfortunately I could not get a better picture for this week's Indonesian meal, but regardless of the photo quality, I was very happy with how the dishes turned out. Back in early June, I made Pepes Ikan, which is a grilled fish dish, and Es Alpukat, which is a sweet avocado smoothie.

Pepes Ikan, the fish dish, is actually supposed to be grilled inside banana leaves which are folded up into little packets and held in place with toothpicks. However, I was unable to find banana leaves and had to settle for tin foil instead. Regardless, the fish tasted amazing. I was surprised just how much flavour it actually had, because the sauce was made up simply with lime, coconut milk, and pepper. I had assumed the taste would be quite mild, but in fact there was quite a lot going on, and it was incredibly delicious.

As for the Es Alpukat, the avocado smoothie, the drink was full of surprises. It was considerably sweeter and thicker than I had initially expected it to be, and the flavour was not one I was able to easily figure out. It was incredibly sweet- much sweeter than I would like actually, and so I was only able to eat a small amount (and I say eat because I had to use a spoon it was so thick) which is how I learned that this smoothie does not keep well if you were hoping for seconds. It turned brown very quickly which made it thoroughly unappetizing, but at least what I did have that first day was very tasty.

Despite the struggles with my avocado smoothie and the poor picture quality, this Indonesian dinner was a success. I enjoyed the fish dish quite a lot, and it is one I would certainly like to make again.

FIRSTS THIS WEEK:

• Cooked with coconut milk
• Made a smoothie with avocado

RECIPES I USED: 

• Pepes Ikan: https://asianinspirations.com.au/recipe/pepes-ikan-indonesian-grilled-fish-in-banana-leaves
• Es Alpukat: https://asianinspirations.com.au/recipe/es-alpukat-avocado-smoothie