Hinava - recipies from sabah

Every end of May, rice harvest time is celebrated here. Called Kaamatan, the celebration lasts several days, in rural places, several weeks. Hinava is a traditional Kadazan-Dusun raw fish salad. Simple to make, popular side-dish, adapted by most hotels for their menu, and there are numerous variations.

Hinava

500 grams fresh Spanish markerel or salmon
2 large onions cut into small chunks
2 tomatoes diced
3-4 inches ginger, finely sliced
10 limau kasturi or small limes or any limes
4 Red chili sliced three times lengthways towards stalk, but not severed, deseeded, and placed in water
Spring onions for garnishing
1 cup Vinegar with which to rinse the raw fish
Sprinkling of salt, MSG to taste



1. Skin and debone fish. Cut into small chunks in about 2 cm square.
2. Marinade fish with vinegar and salt, and sqeeze out excess. Put it into the refrigerator in about 1 hour but do not freeze it.
3. Add tomato, onion and ginger with fish and mix.
4. Add salt to taste.
5. Sprinkle MSG
6. Squeeze lime juice onto fish and mix thoroughly.
7. Garnish with sliced chili and spring onions before serving.
8. Serve with chilled white wine or a Scotch as chaser or as a side dish with rice.

(Spanish mackeral are ussually use, but Salmon would do just as well. The dish has become so popular with the tourists that all the hotels in Sabah, Malaysia include it in their buffet fare.

You are eating raw fish but don't worry. The raw fish gets cooked by the lime and vinegar.)