The Humble Fish

Anchovies

Anchovies is the success story behind all Por Por's cooking. At 85, her meals are seldom prepared without them...be it soups, vegetables or special congees...her taste buds will never agree with them ; unless anchovies are added in what ever forms.




Por is diligent. To cancel any ill effect of over-consumption she deheads and debones them and she feels safe now. They told her over-consumption may lead to high cholesterol levels but the redeeming factor is to remove the heads. Her cholesterol level is at a perfect level each time she does a medical check up.

So the story begins.

Believe it or not but no soup tastes right without the anchovy stock. You can add pork bones, chicken carcass but no amount can offer a soup that is 'complete' without anchovies. So for a simple meat ball soup, be sure that the stock is anchovy-based. To add further taste you may add fresh minced meat too.

That soup displayed will taste very right with anchovy stock on top of every other ingredients you may desire. Just last month, I did prepare an elaborate soup dish with pork stomach , bones and meat balls but the secret lies in the anchovy base. Of course anchovies can be prepared in powdered form but I don't like them for I believe some form of mono sodium glutamate is added. Family members can testify about the soup when they kept asking "what did you add?". Anchovies.

Any green vegetable will taste well with some fried anchovies. Por loves to add anchovies to ladies fingers and egg plants ; and the four-angled bean dish will be complete with samble and anchovies.

This is also a popular way to cook. Add deep fried anchovies as the finishing touch for noodles, mee hoon and fried rice. The versatile anchovies is a pleasing sight indeed.

For the less oriental bud, this sphagetti-cabbage-anchovies concoction will be a good change but nevertheless just as plattable.

Malaysians grow up with this. Anchovies prepared with nuts is out of the world when you consume it together with congee, noodles, rice and pasta.

What is nasi lemak without anchovies? Incomplete.

This is a very oriental salad dish. From my discernment, the dish is complemented with onions, red chillies, lime and better still cincaru ; a local Melaka fishy stuff. Por will be very satisfied with a bowl of porridge and that concoction above.

Peperoni and anchovies is also gaining popularity in pizza displays.

Perhaps this is the thing that is much longed for when you are away from home sweet home. For those who are away working and studying, at times you will remember it and the crave can drive you crazy.

Here are 2 kilos of anchovies waiting to be deheaded for people who are going to leave me soon ... Esther and my brother. Down Under too has her supply but it must be quite pricey especially with the exchange rate. The convenience of having a ready stock is unimaginable. When you come home and have no food, just add achovies to some water for half an hour and then add a lump of rice and lo and behold the porridge will be ready for consumption with some minced meat and fragrant onion oil or even lard added to it. Esther... hard times are coming again. Be ready to use anchovies and perhaps try some of the advice I have given above.

Be creative and don't behave so helpless.

Of anchovies and its versatility.