Had some spices and chilli paste left from the Fish Head Curry that I cooked the previous week and decided to make a dish of Malay asam (sour) pedas (spicy) ikan (fish) for myself this week.
I actually prefer this recipe to the Fish Head Curry recipe, mainly because there aren’t so many fish bones in mackerels and also because these fish slices are so much easier to handle and deal with compared to a large chunk of fish head.
Ingredients (Asam Paste):
- Chilli paste: 50g
- Ginger: 20g
- Garlic: 5
- Shallot: 75g
- Lemon grass: 1 stalk
- Turmeric: 1 tbsp
Ingredients (Remaining):
- Oil: 2 tbsp
- Curry leave: a small handful (about 15 leaves)
- Fish curry powder: 2 tbsp
- Water: 300ml
- Tamarind mixture: 3 tbsp tamarind + 6 tbsp water
- Calamansi juice: 4 small limes
- Sugar: 2 tbsp
- Fish sauce: 4 tbsp
- Tomato: 3, quartered
- Ladies’ finger: 6, halved
- Mackerel: 1kg (about 5 slices)
- Coriander: 1 stalk, chopped
Method:
- Blend chilli paste, ginger, garlic, shallot, lemon grass and turmeric together to form a paste.
- Heat oil in wok. Fry paste till fragrant.
- Add curry leaves and curry powder. Continue stirring for 1min.
- Add water, tamarind mixture, calamansi juice, sugar and fish sauce. Stir to mix evenly and bring to boil.
- Add tomatoes, ladies’ fingers and mackerel. Leave to simmer for 5 min, covered.
- Serve warm with coriander and rice.
Trick:
- Make more of the paste and store them inside the freezer in separate containers for use on different occasions. They can be used to cook almost anything, from fish to vegetables to potatoes. It’s versatile, delicious and a life-saver on busy weekends!
Serving:
4 – 6 persons
