Masak - masak Melayu ~ Assam fish (garoupa) @ Asam pedas ikan siakap

Finally, I've learned how to cook this. Another sour -ish recipe =) I like to use garoupa @ siakap, a fresh one has very sweet flesh, though normally people use stingray @ ikan pari or ikan kembung @ mackerel to make asam pedas. For additional umph, some add daun kesum @ laksa leaf @ polygonum leaf. Mine is actually less red than how it is, this is because I probably used less chili paste. Additional vege that you can add in this dish includes eggplant, tomato and bunga kantan @ torch ginger.





Ingredients:


1. 6 shallots
2. 4 cloves of garlic
3. Lemongrass, 1 stalk
4. Lengkuas, ½ cm thick
5. Ginger, ½ cm thick
6. Turmeric, 2 ½ cm thick
7. Buah keras, 2
8. Red chilli, 2 (subjective)



9. 1 Tsp serbuk belacan Maggi (subjective)
10. 3 Tbs cili giling (subjective)
11. 2 Tbs asam jawa (subjective)

12. Daun kunyit, sliced half and folded (just for the look)
13. Halba, 1 tsp

14. 1 garoupa, cleaned and sliced to 3 parts. You may want to utilize some extreme utensils for this. Me, I progressed from small to medium knife to finally the large one assisted with a stone mallet.


15. 7 okra, sliced to halves
16. 3 Tbs oil
17. 4 – 5 cups of water (subjective)
18. Salt & sugar to taste


Preparation:

1. Blend ingredient 1 – 11 to pulp.
2. Heat oil in deep saucepan and cook the blended ingredients till fragrant
3. Add water and bring to boil, then add in the chili and tamarind (asam jawa) paste, followed by the belacan powder.
4. Add the fish and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes.
5. Add in the daun kunyit and halba, season with salt and sugar to taste.
6. When the fish is cooked, add okra and simmer for 2 – 3 minutes. Add more water to your preference.


Sometimes I add in brinjals, cut it 2 fingers thick