Gulai Nenas Ikan (Islander's Fish-Pineapple Soup)
this Orang Pulau specialty dish has a delectable balance of sour, spicy, peppery!
a couple of weeks ago, we joined two Orang Pulau (Southern Islander) sisters on an exhilarating sea-to-table escapade. Mak Noni and Mak Ani were inhabitants of Semakau Island, located within the southern waters of Singapore. they called the Semakau home, up until the 1980s, when the government acquired the island, causing their family to relocate to the mainland.
aside from sharing anecdotes & stories of island life, the sisters brought us to the reefs around Pulau Semakau and showed us how to catch fish. after spending time with them, there were a couple of valuable lessons of island cookery that we felt were very meaningful takeaways. one was of sustainability; Mak Noni & Mak Ani recalled that when it comes to fishing, their late father would advise, ‘only take what you need for the day’, portraying how the Orang Laut’s mindful fishing practices allowed them to sustain their centuries-old relationship with the sea.
we also learnt about the islanders’ wisdom in adaptability; their culinary offerings of the day depended on the catch, therefore the women of the island concocted different dishes daily, according to what the sea provided them.
the catch of the day for us during our time with them turned out to be abundant and numerous; we caught different species of fish including parrotfish, ikan tokak (anchor tuskfish), ikan mentimun (spanish flag snapper) & ikan poyot (chocolate hind), all of which consequently ended up in a ‘gulai’ which denotes a sour fish soup in the Orang Laut/Riau Islanders’ culinary repertoire, different from the more popular coconut-based gulai in consumed in the rest of the Malay world.
while the makciks (aunties) insist that they prepare their gulai nenas ikan in true agak-agak fashion (eyeballing all the ingredients), we took liberty to come out with quantitative measurements, so you too can try making this simple dish at home.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
get ingredients for this recipe here!:
barramundi
snapper
grouper
pomfret
tamarind pulp
seedless tamarind paste
black pepper
pineapple
dried chillies
belachan
if you’d like to listen, experience & taste the heritage of Singapore’s Islanders, JOIN US at Hari Orang Pulau (Islander’s Day) on 14th June 2025 @ West Coast Park! for more details, check out: https://hariorangpulau.sg
for more fish recipes, check out these!:
Teochew Steamed Fish - a drag queen learns 93-year old grandma's family recipe
fans of the local drag performance scene would know Opera Tang as being the drag queen who has taken the industry to new heights in the past couple of years. with the film featuring them being played in film festivals locally and overseas, Singaporean drag icons are now celebrated and are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
Cambodian Fish Amok (Amok Trey អាម៉ុកត្រី) For A Bikepacker Who Cycled From SG to China
During a 133-day cycling journey from Singapore to China, Ram (@dhnrjb) made a stop in Cambodia and savoured Amok Trey or fish amok, a traditional Cambodian dish that instantly took him back home. The rich, creamy flavours reminded him of Singapore's otak-otak—a familiar comfort in a foreign land.