lautnusantara.com - Cakalang fufu is a Eastern Indonesian Style of Smoked Skipjack. The cakalang (skipjack tuna) fish is cleaned (scaled and gutted), then the flesh of cakalang is split into two parts and clipped upon a bamboo frame that has been prepared previously. 

Then the fish meat is cured using soda powder, salt and some spices for flavouring. The cakalang meat later undergoes the smoking process, the heat of fire and smoke must be evenly distributed so that all parts of fish are exposed to the heat, done and dried. 

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The tuna meat curing process takes about four hours and the time needed for cooling is about two hours. The process goes on until the color of skipjack tuna turns reddish and the meat texture is rather dry and not watery.

It has a strong smoky taste, thanks to being prepared over burning coconut husks. Cakalang fufu item can be discovered throughout significant city in Indonesia. Cakalang fufu is a cured and smoked skipjack tuna clipped on a bamboo frame, a Minahasan special of North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Cakalang fufu can be served warmed, directly eaten with steamed rice and dabu-dabu (Minahasan sambal) or it can be add into another recipes like blended with potato salad, sprinkled upon noodles, or prepared as spicy rica-rica with chili pepper.

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Here are one of the recipe you can follow to cook Cakalang Fufu

Ingredients :

• 500 gram Smoked Tuna Fish - Cut into piece
• 2 kaffir lemon leaves
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 huge shallot - very finely sliced
• 2 lemon turf - squashed the white part
• white basil leaves
• 2 green onion - very finely sliced

Put into a blender/food processor or grind it:

• 5-8 cloves garlic
• 2 cm ginger root
• 5-10 Thai Chili (according to your choice).
• salt & pepper
• 5 -7 cloves candle light nuts

Direction :

1. Stir fry shallot till it scent.
2. Bring in minced/smooth spices, stir till the color altered.
3. Include lemon turf as well as Kafir lemon leaves
4. Stir the smoked fish into the sauteed flavoring, blend it well.
5. Pour the coconut milk into the fish-mixtures, remain to prepare it up until the liquid decreased. Prior to the liquid decreased, include green onion and White Basil leaves.
6. Enjoy it with hot steam white rice.

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