Goreng arowana: Indonesian cooks husband's prized fish after he breaks promise to clean its tank

Frustrated with her husband's repeated broken promises to care for his prized fish, an Indonesian woman decided to cook his pet arowana to protest against his laziness.

A viral TikTok video shared on Oct 8 — with more than six million views — shows user Mia Kurniawan scaling and seasoning the freshwater fish, before deep frying it.

Kurniawan said in the video: "My husband kept promising to clean the aquarium after I told him to. I thought it would be delicious if I fried it."

Ending the 20-second video by crossing her thumb and index finger in a 'heart' gesture, she wrote in an accompanying text: "Already cooked and ready to eat".

@miakurniawan01

goreng arwana?#fyp

♬ Singkong & Keju Cover - akhmal.dniel

In the comments, netizens were shocked by Kurniawan's actions — with some leaving messages of support for her husband's loss.

In subsequent videos responding to comments from netizens, Kurniawan said that her husband is looking to buy another arowana and has forgiven her for killing his pet fish.

The Asian arowana, or commonly named as dragon fish, is prized as a symbol of wealth and prosperity in countries such as China and Japan.

Coveted for its glimmering scales and supposedly spiritual aura, this luxury ornamental fish is rumoured to sell for up to US$300,000 (S$450,000).

Since the Asian arowana is listed as an endangered species under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List, a license is required from NParks to import it to Singapore. 

ALSO READ: Man in Indonesia mourns death of pet arowana after dad fries it for lunch

chingshijie@asiaone.com