Palai Bada — West Sumatra, Indonesia

Palai bada belongs to the palai family of Minangkabau cooking, in which a spiced filling is wrapped tightly in banana leaf and cooked over embers or steam; bada refers to the small, anchovy-like fish that forms the base of this particular version. It is reported from villages and markets of West Sumatra, prepared at home and sold as a side dish to eat with steamed rice, alongside related parcels such as palai itiak or palai baluik that use duck or eel instead of fish. Small whole fish are cleaned and mixed with grated coconut and a ground paste of chilli, shallot, garlic and turmeric, with a torn lime leaf for aroma. The mixture is spooned onto a banana leaf, folded tightly into a flat parcel, and secured with bamboo skewers or toothpicks before being grilled slowly over charcoal embers or steamed until the coconut turns fragrant and slightly dry. Grilling gives a smokier result while steaming keeps the parcel moister; households also vary the chilli level and whether the fish is left whole or roughly chopped before mixing with the coconut. The banana leaf wrapping is kept in most versions, both for cooking and for carrying the parcel to be eaten later.