Rich and spicy, this dish might look like fish curry but it isn’t. It has no curry powder although turmeric, one of the spices that make up curry powder, is an ingredient and responsible for the bright yellow hue. Any white fleshy fish can be used. I suggest tilapia, dory, river cobbler, snapper (maya-maya) or grouper (lapu-lapu). The fillets may be cooked whole or cut into smaller portions.
Cooking time is less than 30 minutes.
Adapted from a recipe in Periplus Mini Cookbooks’ Malaysian Favorites.
Serves 2 to 3.
Ingredients :
500 g. of white fish fillets (I used dory fish)
2 white onions
2 siling labuyo (red chilis)
3 tbsps. of oil
1 c. of coconut milk
1/2 tsp. of turmeric powder
1 stalk of lemongrass
1 tbsp. of tamarind paste1
patis (fish sauce)
1/2 c. of coconut cream
onion leaves for garnish
Cooking procedure :
Cut off the roots of the lemongrass. Measure about an inch from the root end, use this and discard the rest. Slice thinly the part that you’re using.
Peel the onions and roughly chop.
Cut the chilis into small pieces.
Place the chopped onions, lemongrass and chilis in the blender, pour in the oil2 and process until smooth.
Pour the paste into a frying pan. Cook over medium heat until the semi solids start to separate from the oil.
Mix together the coconut milk, turmeric and tamarind paste. Pour the mixture slowly into the frying pan. Season with patis. Add the fish and simmer3 until the fish is cooked through.4
Pour in the coconut cream, stir until the gravy thickens a bit then transfer to a serving bowl or platter and serve at once.5
Notes:
1Tamarind paste is a substitute for asam gelugor (dried garcinia), a souring agent I am not familiar with. Tamarind paste is available in jars in the Asian section of bigger supermarkets.
2The oil facilitates processing. The motor of the blender might burn if you try to process dry ingredients without adding any liquid. The original recipe says to saute the process ingredients in cooking oil, I mixed them together in the blender and cooked them together.
3Do not boil. Coconut milk will curdle fast and that will result in a lumpy gravy.
4Cooking time depends on the size and thickness of the fish fillets.
5This dish is twice as good after allowing to sit for a few hours.
hi connie,
the onions, is it to be mixed with the ingredients in the blender or to be sauteed?
tnx!
Ooops, sorry, you put them in the blender as well.
Will edit the entry.
hi connie! can i substitute something for the turmeric since i dont have any.
thanks again!
Leng, try half as much grated ginger. The color won’t be the same though.