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.

@nomies.come, refusing to believe my parents walked across mountains to go to school: 🙄 mak ani: 👩🏽‍🎓->⛵🌊🦈🏫🌊🌜->😴 link in bio for the recipe! 🐟🍍🌶 today, a community of Orang Pulau persists in keeping the Islander heritage alive, even on the mainland. JOIN US at Hari Orang Pulau (Islander’s Day) on 14th June 2025 @ West Coast Park! For more details, head to https://hariorangpulau.sg/ @Orang Laut SG

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Gulai Nenas Ikan (Islander’s Fish-Pineapple Soup)

(serves 2-3)
600g-800g whole fish, cleaned, gutted and cut (Mak Noni uses Anchor Tuskfish or Rabbitfish caught in local waters but you can use any firm white fish such as barramundi, snapper, grouper or pomfret)
150g tamarind pulp or 100g seedless tamarind paste
600ml water
2 tbsp black pepper, coarsely ground
1/2 a pineapple, peeled & sliced
1/2 tsp MSG, optional
salt, to taste

spice paste:
5 shallots, peeled
2 cloves garlic
12-15 dried chillies (deseeded and soaked in hot water)
15g turmeric root, peeled
1 tbsp belachan (shrimp paste)

directions:

• in a blender, puree all the spice paste ingredient into a fine paste. you can use the chilli soaking liquid to facilitate the blending process.

• combine 600ml water with the tamarind and use one hand to extract and dissolve all the pulp, discarding the seeds. in a pot, combine the resulting tamarind water together with the spice paste and black pepper. turn on the heat and let it come to boil. cover and cook for 5-6 minutes.

• combine the fish and pineapple slivers into the pot and lower heat to a gentle simmer. cover the pot again and cook for another 7-8 minutes or until the fish is fully cooked. season with salt and MSG (optional), to taste.

• serve the ‘gulai’ with steamed rice and ‘ulam-ulaman’ (raw vegetables i.e. cucumber & four-angled bean) alongside sambal 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

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  for more fish recipes, check out these!: