Ingredients:
500 g fish fillet with skin
1 teaspoon salt in 1 cup water
1 teaspoon cornflour (optional)
Method :
1. Lay fish flat on the counter, skin side down. Run a finger along the fillet to determine the grain of the fish. It should feel smooth with no flaky ridges.
2. Using a tablespoon, scrape hard on the flesh, following the grain. Sprinkle the fillet occassionally with salted water. Continue scaping until you have reached the skin. Discard skin.
3. If you are using ikan parang, the bones will stay on the skin. If using snapper, be careful to remove bone from the meat as you scrape.
4. Whizz fish meat in a blender for 3 minutes. Or pound fish meat in mortar and pestle.
5. Take out fish meat and place in a large mixing bowl. Moisten your hands with salt water, lift up fish meat and whack it against the bowl a few times until the fish meat forms a very soft ball. Keep fish paste refrigerated and take it out only when you are ready to cook
Tips:
Choose a firm textured fish like a red snapper, or ideally the ikan parang or local mackeral. Ask the fishmonger to fillet the fish for you leaving the skin. Again Carrefour's fish counter has ready filleted snappers, ikan parang and batang.