← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 600 g Spanish mackerel (tenggiri), stingray or other firm fish, cut into thick steaks
• 15 Dried chillies, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, drained
• 6 Shallot, peeled
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 2 cm piece Ginger
• 2 cm piece fresh turmeric (or ½ tsp ground)
• 1 tsp belacan (shrimp paste), toasted
• 3 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 Lemongrass, bruised
• 2 tbsp tamarind pulp, mixed with 150 ml warm water and strained
• 500 ml Water
• 1 handful daun kesum (laksa leaves)
• 1 Torch ginger flower (bunga kantan), halved (optional)
• 8 Okra, stems trimmed
• 2 Tomato, cut into wedges
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt

Method

1. Blend the drained chillies, shallots, garlic, ginger, turmeric and belacan with a splash of water into a smooth paste.
2. Heat the oil in a wide pot or deep pan over medium heat. Fry the paste with the lemongrass for 6–8 min, stirring, until it turns dark red and the oil separates.
3. Pour in the tamarind water and the water, add the laksa leaves and torch ginger (if using), bring to the boil and simmer for 3 min.
4. Add the okra and simmer for 2 min, then slip in the fish and tomato. Simmer gently for 6–8 min without stirring (shake the pan instead) until the fish turns opaque and just flakes.
5. Season with the salt and sugar: the gravy should be thin, clearly sour and fiery. Serve hot with plenty of rice.

Tips

• Daun kesum is Vietnamese coriander (rau ram); if you cannot find it, a few kaffir lime leaves give a different but lovely aroma.
• Use 2–3 tbsp ready-made cili boh (dried chilli paste) instead of soaking dried chillies to make this even faster. Belacan is shrimp, so watch for shellfish allergies.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Nomadette What To Cook Today Singaporean Malaysian Recipes