Category: Seafood

Fish Amok

Ask any one who has visited Cambodia what their favourite local dish was and chances are high that they’ll say “Fish Amok” without having to think too hard. This dish is traditionally made with fish that is lightly spiced and cooked in coconut milk. The fish can be substituted with chicken or lots of vegetables for a veggie version.

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: Medium
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Ingredients

  • 150gms fresh snake fish (or salmon)
  • 15-20gms sliced fresh lemongrass stalk
  • 1 fresh kaffir lime leaf
  • 1cm fresh galangal
  • 1cm fresh root turmeric
  • 2cms fresh finger root (Chinese ginger)
  • 2 red sun dried paprika (substitute with 1-2tspn of paprika powder)
  • 150ml fresh coconut milk
  • 1/2tspn chicken stock powder/knorr/buillion
  • 3cloves garlic
  • 1tspn brown sugar
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1tspn shrimp paste
  • 1 kale leaf (or 4 big spinach leaves), sliced
  • A big pinch of cornstarch
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and very thinly sliced
  • Ceramic bowl (traditionally banana leaf is used to make a bowl but this isn’t easily available outside Asia)

Method

  1. Rinse and soak the sun dried paprika to rehydrate for a minute.
  2. Thinly slice fresh lemongrass and set aside. Put in a mortar.
  3. Slice all these into small pieces – kaffir lime leaf, peeled galangal, peeled turmeric, finger root and peeled garlic. Add to the mortar.
  4. Add the soaked paprika and shrimp paste to the mortar. Pound for 10-15mins, regularly checking for consistency of the paste. Paste is ready when it’s absolutely smooth.
  5. Finely slice the fish into thin 2cm strips and add to a bowl. add chicken stock, salt, sugar, 1tbspn spice paste, 4tbspn coconut milk and mix till everything is combined.
  6. Strip off the stem from the kale leaf and tear into small pieces and add to the ceramic bowl.
  7. Add the marinated fish into the ceramic bowl (do not mix it with the leaves) and steam it for 15-20mins using a steamer or a water bath.
  8. Make coconut cream by adding 50ml of fresh coconut milk to a pot, add a pinch of corn starch and simmer for a minute till it thickens, while stirring constantly.
  9. Remove bowl from the steamer, garnish with 1tbspn of coconut cream, few thinly sliced kaffir leaves and sliced fresh red chilli. Serve with steamed rice!

Sour Fish Soup

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: Medium
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Ingredients

  • 4 – 5 Tamarind Pieces
  • 2 Okras
  • 10cm Taro Stem (can use Pak Choy as a substitute)
  • handful of fresh cilantro
  • handful of Buffalo Spinach
  • 1 Tomato
  • 2 Slices of Pineapple
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • Cooking Oil
  • 1 Slice of Mackerel
  • 3 Teaspoons of Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon of Fish Sauce
  • 3 Teaspoons of Chicken Powder/Stock

Method

  1. Mix tamarind and 50ml of warm water together to make tamarind juice
  2. Cut okra, taro stem, cilantro and buffalo spinach into 0.5cm pieces and set aside
  3. Cut tomato and pineapple into quarters and set aside
  4. Dice garlic as small as you can
  5. Add cooking oil and garlic into a pan and saute until garlic is golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside
  6. Add 400ml of water into a medium sized pot. Add in pineapple and tomato until the smell of pineapple is strong
  7. Add in fish and bring to the boil for 5 minutes. Remove fish and set aside.
  8. Add in 1 – 2 tablespoons of the tamarind juice into pot depending on the taste you want. Also add in sugar, fish sauce and chicken powder bring to the boil for 10 minutes
  9. Add in okra and taro stems bring to the boil for 5 minutes
  10. Remove from heat and add buffalo spinach, cilantro and garlic for garnish
  11. Serve warm with rice.

Prawn Stir Fry with Baby Corn and Mange tout

I love making stir fry during the week. They are dead easy and really quick to make, it has a good dose of veggies and taste delicious!  You can make this dish with any meat you like or leave out the meat completely, I have used prawns here.

I learned the trick of adding curry powder to stir fry from a friend and it sure is a good way to add flavour without too much effort.

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients

  • 350gms raw king prawns
  • 3cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2inch ginger, finely chopped
  • 2 green chilies, finely chopped
  • 125gms mange tout
  • 125 baby corn
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1tspn curry powder
  • 1tbspn oyster sauce
  • 1tspn dark soy sauce
  • 1tbspn light soy sauce
  • 2tbspn sunflower oil
  • 300gms fresh egg noodles
  • salt to taste

Directions

  1. Heat half the oil in a large wok. Add half the ginger, garlic and chillies and stir fry for 30seconds.
  2. Throw in the raw prawns and immediately add half the curry powder. When prawns are cooked through, set aside in a bowl.
  3. Heat remaining oil in the same wok. Add rest of ginger, garlic and chillies and fry for 30secs.
  4. Add the onions, mange tout, baby corn, remaining curry powder and a pinch of salt and fry till veggies are cooked but still crunchy.
  5. Add the fresh noodles, cooked prawns, dark and light soy sauces and oyster sauce.
  6. Fry till noodles are cooked and serve hot!

Stir Fry Prawns in spicy sauce

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I love Chinese food! For me, it’s second only to Indian food. This one is a delicious recipe with lots of yummy prawns, colourful veggies and a sauce that’s full of flavour. The fact that it’s very easy to prepare is an additional bonus!

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients

  • 350gms raw king prawns
  • 3 big cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 big onion diced into big chunks
  • 1 green pepper diced into big chunks
  • 1/2 red pepper diced into big chunks
  • 150gms mushrooms, thickly sliced
  • 1 green chilli finely chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/4tspn curry powder
  • 1tsbpn sunflower oil
  • 300gms Amoy ready to wok udon noodles

For the Sauce

  • 1tsbpn sunflower oil
  • 2tbspn dark soy sauce
  • 1tbspn sweet chilli sauce
  • 1tbspn fish sauce
  • 1tspn corn flour
  • 1tbpsn curry powder
  • 250ml hot water

Directions

  1. Heat 1tbspn oil in a wok. Add prawns, sprinkle with salt and curry powder and fry till prawns are cooked. Transfer to a bowl.
  2. Mix all ingredients for sauce (except corn flour and hot water) in 1tbspn of water.
  3. Add remaining 1tbspn oil to the wok, fry garlic till golden.
  4. Add sauce mix and cook for a min. Add the hot water and bring to boil.
  5. Add all veggies, turn the flame up and cook till veggies are almost cooked.
  6. Mix corn flour in 1 tspn of cold water and add to sauce, heat for 30 secs.
  7. Add noodles. Cook till sauce is reduced and noodles are cooked through and are coated in the sauce.
  8. Serve hot and enjoy!