NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: Ikan Pansuh
“This ointment will help to expedite the closure of your wound.”
Nana takes off the lid of the small earthen jar and a strong pungent herbal aroma fills the air. Aria tries her best to hold her breath that her brows furrowed.
“Hiss~”
The oily green paste stings as it was applied to her feet.
“It will only be hurt for a moment.”
Like a professional, Nana applied the paste gently and bandaged the wounded feet.
“It feels cool now.”
She was amazed that she doesn’t feel any pain. The bandage made her feet look like it had socks on. It is more comfortable compared to walking barefooted.
“Start the fire so that we can start cooking.”
Aria looks around to find flint and steel before she remembers that steel has not been invented yet at this time. Nana hands over a bamboo that has been split in half with a slit in the middle and a long rectangular piece of bamboo.
Seeing her puzzled look, Nana took dry leaves and rubbed them in between her palms to create a fluffy looking tinder. She put it on the wooden box that was densely packed with soils. She covers tinder with bamboo and performs a sawing motion across using the rectangular shaped bamboo piece.
“Woah! There is smoke coming from it.”
Aria comes closer to take a look and it seems like the friction creates dust and the motion gives enough heat to lit up the dust.
When the bamboo is lifted up, the tinder starts to have weak smoke coming out from it. Aria helps to blow some air softly towards the tinder. Steadily the ember starts to catch on the tinder and she adds some kindlings.
She gives it a few more blows before turning her head around and a loud laugh can be heard filling the silent house.
“Your face has turned dark! Hahahahaha!”
Nana fell on the floor while holding her stomach. The porcelain white skin is so in contrast with the black soots. The flecks spreading from her nose to her cheeks make her look like a mouse with whiskers. She looks down into the jar that fills with water to see her reflection. Now she understands why Nana was laughing hysterically because she follows to laugh at herself.
“Rinse your face and clean the fish for me.”
Nana gave her the three fishes that were caught by Naki earlier. Aria smiles and brings the fish to the uncovered area and uses a clean thin stick to remove the scale of the fish. She uses the sharp stone tool to make a slit at the abdomen of the fish and remove its viscera. It was rinsed after cutting it into small pieces and put back into the rattan basket. In the kitchen, Nana mashes some ginger and galangal together using stone pestle and mortar.
“Put the fish accordingly into these three bamboos.”
She gave the bamboo to Aria and proceeded to take out a red pointy flower before mincing it with the stone tool. Aria notices that the flower is the one her grandmother normally uses to make pansuh called bunga kantan. A gentle floral and sour note fills the air enough to make Aria drools.
Nana fills the bamboo with water leaving a few inches before it completely fills up. She adds a tepus plant that has been cut into small cylinders before covering the bamboo opening with daun bungkang.
“My grandmother loves ikan pansuh. Whenever there are people selling freshwater fish, she will be sure to cook it fresh like this.”
Aria suddenly spurt words from her mouth as she reminisces about her grandmother.
“Selling? What do you mean by selling?”
Nana looks straight into her eyes demanding answers.
“Urm~ It is like getting something you want by exchanging something with the same value. For example, I have extra fish and you come to me with an extra basket wanting some of my fish. So we exchange between us.”
Nana nods after listening to the enthusiastic Aria who explains with her hands waving around.
The fire has turned to hot coal exuding a reddish glow means it is ready for the bamboo. Nana organized the bamboo before putting yam directly onto the coal.
Twenty minutes later, a soul peeking at the duo behind the wall.
“Naki, I know you are hiding there like a thief. Come here and prepare to eat.”
Aria was impressed that Nana would know without turning her body around to look at the intruders when she did not sense anything.
The food smells nice but slightly bland since there is no salt but since she was hungry so she finishes her food. However, the herbs add great flavor to the fish as daun bungkang give the same taste as monosodium glutamate. Aria wishes there is rice to accompany the meal as she commonly eats rice for her meals.
