Seluai - small river fish

I wonder how many people in the Rajang Basin would remember this fish called Pang Ngii Chiang. It is called seluai in Iban.

My uncle Pang Sing and my father used to take out their jala (fishing net) and just make a few throws into the then clear water in the evenings when the tide was high. And they would come home with a pailful of this little fish.

They would then quickly clean the fish and then deep fried them.

The family would enjoy the crunchy and fresh fish. (we would eat even the heads) This was like our KFC chicken of that time. And it was free too - a gift from God indeed.

These days I can get some from friends who go fishing near Sg. Adong or in Entalang when the floods come. I just hope that they would not meet a crocodile which has lost its way.

This plate was specially fried with some curry powder and a dusting of flour and pepper. Salt to taste.

That's all you need with a small plate of rice.

P/s vegetables are too expensive these days. So we have to live on just a one dish meal.