Mageli — South Kalimantan, Indonesia

Mageli is a dish associated with South Kalimantan, on the Indonesian side of Borneo, built around freshwater fish drawn from the region's rivers and swamps. It sits within the wider Banjar culinary repertoire of the province, which leans on river fish, rice and coconut rather than the seafood more common on the coasts. It is reported from communities along the rivers of South Kalimantan, where fish is an everyday staple and household cooking makes frequent use of local herbs and a yellow spice paste built on turmeric, ginger and galangal. Accounts describe it as a home-style dish rather than one tied to a single restaurant or festival. The fish is cleaned and rubbed or marinated with a ground paste of turmeric, garlic, shallots, ginger and galangal, then cooked slowly, either steamed, grilled over charcoal, or simmered in a thin coconut sauce, depending on the household. It is generally served with steamed rice and a side of fresh vegetables or a chili sambal. What is said to distinguish this dish from other river-fish preparations of the region is the particular balance of its spice paste and the gentle cooking method used to keep the fish moist, rather than a heavily fried or highly reduced sauce. Cooks reportedly judge it above all by how well the spice paste has penetrated the fish.