Happycall Belacan Fish

I haven’t used my Happycall pan much since I last purchased it. I bought it cos it promised an odorless + greaseless + splatter-free cooking while frying stuff, especially fish.

What they don’t tell you is, the pan can’t be disconnected for washing, so though the kitchen remains clean, the pan itself and its hinges tend to remain rather greasy and odorful (is there such a word? Full of odors, then). Using the pan made me realise I feel happier watching my food being cooked. So Happycall is seldom used.

But that doesn’t mean it stays in the White Elephant Graveyard, right?

So yesterday, to get the most out of odorless, greaseless cooking, I cooked a most potentially ‘smelly’ dish: Fish with Belacan (something like fermented dried shrimp) AND Chinchalok(brined shrimp with raw shallots).

You’ll need:

1 Happycall
1 tbsp Belacan
1 tbsp Chinchalok
1 whole fish

Method
1) Make deep slits in the fish and stuff in the mixture of belacan and chinchalok. Cut the fish up, if necessary, to fit your pan.

2) Add a few drops of oil into the pan and place the fish inside.

3) Close the pan and cook on medium high for 7-8 mins. Here comes the fun part….
4) FLIP! Yes, the whole pan, with fish inside! And cook for another 7-8 mins… And flip it back.

…while making sure you don’t have plastic utensils nearby. Otherwise, you’ll end up with

This. (Hmm… Looks pretty cool, actually.)

5) If you’re like me, insecure about not being able to see your food cooking, take a peek.

Okay. Good. The eyes have turned white. The fish is done!

6) Add a little garnish. Serve hot with white rice!

Yummeh!

Enjoy! (Worry about cleaning the Happycall later.)