The fried dried anchovies is a popular side dish, sometimes served as a bar snack in Malaysia. The taste of the fried anchovies (a.k.a. ikan bilis in Malay) is savoury, sweet, and crunchy and it is one of the best choices to pair with plain rice or porridge. This dish is very easy to prepare and only requires simple ingredients like anchovies, onion, and chilies.
How to get the Anchovies crispy?
Here are some tips which you can implement to make the fry dried anchovies more crispy:
- Would wash the anchovies before frying affects their crispiness? No, washing or soaking anchovies in water before cooking will not affect the crispiness of the anchovies. However, you need to make sure to drain them until it is completely dry before frying.
- Two things to make sure of before frying the anchovies in the wok: the quantity and temperature of the oil. Ensure you have enough oil in the wok to avoid overcrowded frying. Also, make sure the oil is hot enough before adding in the anchovies to fry.
- How do we know whether the anchovies are crispy enough? The fried anchovies are ready and you should lift and drain them immediately when the oil is not frying them anymore, often when the oil stops bubbling.
- Read this article on the tips and trick to make crispy anchovies.
Recipe Ingredients
The fried dried anchovies recipe calls for:
- 100 gram Dried Anchovies (Ikan Bilis)
- 1 Onion (medium size)
- 5 Dried chilies
- 1 Fresh chili
- 50 ml oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
How to make the Fried Dried Anchovies with Onion?
- Clean, rinse, and dry the anchovies.
- Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a wok. Add the anchovies to the oil and deep-fry until golden brown and crispy (The oil must be able to cover the anchovies). Drain the anchovies on kitchen paper.
- Reuse the oil after frying anchovies, add the onion into the oil, and cook it until soft. Then, add soy sauce and sugar. Gradually stir it until the mixture is almost dry.
- Add in fried anchovies, chilli and dried chilli. Mix them well and enjoy the dish with rice or bread.
Fried Dried Anchovies with Onion Recipe Tips
- You can replace the dried chilies by using fresh chilies.
- To ensure the crispiness of the fried anchovies, store them in an air-tight container.
Fried Dried Anchovies with Onion
The fried dried anchovies is a popular side dish, sometimes served as a bar snack in Malaysia. The taste of the fried anchovies (a.k.a. ikan bilis in Malay) is savoury, sweet, and crunchy and it is one of the best choices to pair with plain rice or porridge. This dish is very easy to prepare and only requires simple ingredients like anchovies, onion, and chilies.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 100 gram dried anchovies heads removed, washed and drained
- 1 onion medium size
- 5 dried chilies
- 1 fresh chili
- 50 ml oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Clean, rinse, and dry the anchovies.
- Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a wok. Add the anchovies to the oil and deep-fry until golden brown and crispy (The oil must be able to cover the anchovies). Drain the anchovies on kitchen paper.
- Reuse the oil after frying anchovies, add the onion into the oil, and cook it until soft. Then, add soy sauce and sugar. Gradually stir it until the mixture is almost dry.
- Add in fried anchovies, chilli and dried chilli. Mix them well and enjoy the dish with rice or bread.
Notes
- You can replace the dried chilies by using fresh chilies.
- To ensure the crispiness of the fried anchovies, store them in an air-tight container.
Thank you for this recipe! I like the crispiness of the anchovies, especially with Nasi lemak.