Ikan Haruan

Ikan haruan is dogfish. It is a small black fish and looks quite ugly. The head looks like a snake's head and the body is short with a fish tail. The Malays eat this fish during maternity confinement and following any surgery or when they have wounds. They will not eat any other fish except ikan haruan. Even ikan belut (eel) or ikan keli (catfish) is not consumed as it is regarded as 'bisa' (poisonous). The dogfish is first cleaned as any other fish and then fried or boiled. The fish flakes are taken with milk, in order to mask the ugliness of the fish. The Malays think ikan haruan is good for healing internal injuries even though wounds may heal on the outside (skin).