Being a Bidayuh, I grew up eating exotic foods such as wild boar, venison, alligator, snakes, just to name a few. I've always love them and still do. Recently, a relative gave some cut-out snakes to us and my brother happily volunteered to cook it for us. I was more than happier because it gives me the chance to snap pictures of how the cooking was done and document it in here. But really, the recipe is a no-brainer.
Ingredients:
2 Shallots
2 Garlics
2"Ginger
2 Chillies
3 stalks of lemongrass
Tumeric (we ran out of tumeric so we substitute it with tumeric powder to add colour and flavor to it)
Fermented durian flesh (tempoyak)
Cut-out snakes ( approximately 10 pieces)
Method:
Using a mortar and pestle, pound shallots, chillies, garlics and ginger into paste. Add in tumeric paste and pound until all ingredients are incorporated.
( food processor can be used as well but the flavor is much better using a mortal and pestle)
Add in fresh lemongrass stalks and bruised them by lightly crushing it with the pestle
Heat some cooking oil in the cooking pot
Throw in the pounded ingredients and saute till fragrant.
Add in the cut-out snakes and mixed well
Pour in water until it covers them.
Put the lid on and let it cook for approximately 2 hours with slow fire to ensure that the meat thoroughly done and tender. However, if you prefer the meat to be tough and chewy, you can reduce the cooking time, by all means. Be sure to constantly check the water level and stir.
Insert a fork into the meat to check if the meat is tender enough and done. The meat is done when the fork slides into it without a resistance.
When the meat is done, add on a fermented durian flesh into the soup and stir well so that they are well mixed. The fermented durian flesh give a special sweet and sour taste to the soup.
Let it boil for another 2 minutes and turn off the stove
And voila!
Best served with rice.
Yumsss..simply irresistible!
