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Fried Dried Anchovies with Onion Recipe
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5 from 1 vote

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.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: anchovies
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.