Ikan assam pedas (hot and sour fish stew)
Ikan assam pedas literally means sour and spicy fish, but it's also the term for this classic Malaysian dish of fish simmered with sambal and tamarind.
- Total:
Ingredients
- 90g of red onion, roughly chopped
- 80g of lemongrass, green tops removed about halfway, roughly chopped
- 90g of red chillies, roughly chopped
- 6g of shrimp paste, belacan
- 8whole dried kashmiri chillies
- ½tsp ground turmeric
- 100g of vegetable oil
- 20g of granulated sugar
- 1tsp fine sea salt
- 140g of aubergine, sliced into chunks
- 500ml of water, or homemade fish stock
- 1plum tomato, cut in half
- 50g of tamarind concentrate, ideally a Southeast Asian brand
- 120g of okra, keep whole
- 30g of Vietnamese coriander, plus more to serve
- 2whole mackerel, or 4 × 140g fillets (other good options include skate wing and sea bass)
- mint, for garnish
Instructions
Step 1
Blend the rempah ingredients until smoothStep 2
In a deep saucepan, heat up oil on medium heat. Fry the rempah, stirring regularly, until the oil separates. This process needs patience, it will take around 20 minutes. Add sugar and salt, then let it caramelise for a couple of minutesStep 3
Add aubergine, water, tomato, and tamarind, and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Add okra and Vietnamese coriander, and simmer for another 5 minutesStep 4
Turn heat down to low, ensuring no bubbles are breaking the surface. Gently poach the mackerel in the stew for about 5-7 minutes. The meat should easily flake apart once it's doneStep 5
Season with extra tamarind, salt and sugar if you prefer it more sour, salty or sweet. Serve with rice and extra slices of mint and coriander