Name: Rice and Salmon Parcels
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: For 6–8 people
Cuisine: Indonesia
Ingredients: 675 g/1½ lb salmon fillet, whole or already cut into 6 or 8 pieces, rubbed all over with salt and pepper; 1 tsp finely chopped lemon grass, the inner soft part only (optional); ¼ tsp salt or more to taste; 1 tsp finely chopped ginger root; 3 tbsp clarified butter or olive oil; 450 g/1 lb/4 cups courgettes/zucchini or cucumber, sliced into thin rounds; 390 g/14 oz/1¾ cups short grain rice, preferably Japanese, washed and drained about 1 hour before cooking; 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted; 1 tsp sugar; 2 sheets of filo pastry (to make one large parcel; 1 sheet each for individual parcels); 1 tsp salt; 1 green chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped, or ¼ tsp chilli powder; 1 tbsp creamed coconut, dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water (optional); 1 clove garlic, finely chopped; 12–16 fresh green peppercorns, lightly crushed (optional); 2 tsp capers, chopped

Preparation info

For
6–8
people

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
1 hr 35

Appears in

The Rice Book

By Sri Owen

Published 1993

About

This is a westernized version of pais ikan, a West Javanese way of cooking fish and spices in a banana-leaf packet. Here, the fish is wrapped in filo pastry. You can make either one big parcel, which is suitable for a buffet, or smaller individual ones. Whichever you choose, cut the parcel just before serving to reveal the colour of the salmon inside and to release the delicious vapours that have been trapped inside during cooking.

As a contrast to the pink salmon, either gre