Assam Fish Curry.
Assam means sour in Malay and usually implies that tamarind pulp is used in the recipe, for its distinctive tangy flavour.
Ingredients.
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
3 tablespoons of tamarind pulp, soaked in 250 ml / 8 floz of boiling water for 10 minutes.
2 tomatoes, quartered.
2 baby aubergines, weighing about 50 g / 2 oz each, quartered.
2 large fresh red chillies, quartered lengthways and deseeded.
1 tablespoon of soft brown sugar.
1/2 a teaspoon of salt.
625 g / 1 1/4 lb of skinless haddock, halibut or cod fillet cut into 5 cm / 2 inch pieces.
Spice paste.
5 small dried chillies soaked in cold water for 10 minutes then deseeded and chopped.
8 shallots, chopped.
3 stalks of lemon grass, chopped.
2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and chopped.
2.5 cm / 1 inch piece of fresh galangal or ginger root, peeled and chopped.
2 teaspoons of dried shrimp paste.
1 teaspoon of turmeric.
5 macadamia nuts.
Method.
1. To make the spice paste, put the dried chillies, shallots, lemon grass, red chillies, galangal or ginger, shrimp paste, turmeric and macadamia nuts into a blender and work to a thick paste.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy based frying pan, add the spice paste and fry over a gentle heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes until softened.
3. Strain the tamarind pulp through a sieve, pressing it against the sieve to extract as much tamarind flavour as possible, add the strained tamarind liquid to the pan with the tomatoes, aubergines and chillies. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer gently for 12 minutes.
4. Add the sugar, salt and the fish to the pan, stir gently to coat the fish in the sauce, cover the pan again and cook the curry over a gentle heat for another 7 minutes or until the fish is cooked through, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve with plain boiled rice.
Serves 4.
