Recipe
Fish Amok (recipe)
Steamed fish curry built on kroeung, dried chilli paste, shrimp paste and coconut cream, portioned into banana leaf cups and steamed until set.
This fish amok recipe by Chef Nak makes the Cambodian steamed curry of fish in kroeung and coconut cream, cooked in banana-leaf cups.[1] It appears in Chef Nak's cookbook NHUM: Recipes from a Cambodian Home Kitchen. The recipe takes about 25 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook. Chef Nak advises mixing gently and steaming with care, so the amok stays silky and aromatic rather than heavy.[1]
Ingredients
- 1 kg fish fillet, snakehead or another firm mild white fish
- 20 g kroeung (Cambodian lemongrass paste)
- 320 g coconut cream, fresh preferred or unsweetened canned
- 80 g dried red cubanelle pepper paste
- 10 g shrimp paste
- 30 g palm sugar
- 5 g salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 long red pepper, for garnish
- 3 makrut lime leaves, for garnish
- Banana leaves and toothpicks, optional and traditional
Method
- The fish is cut into cubes of 2 to 3 cm (about 1 in). About 20 g of the coconut cream is set aside, and the red pepper and lime leaves are shredded for the topping.
- The kroeung, pepper paste, shrimp paste, palm sugar, salt and eggs are mixed, and the coconut cream is whisked in to make a smooth curry base.
- The fish is folded through the base and rested for 15 to 20 minutes to absorb the seasoning.
- Banana leaves are stacked in pairs of circles, shiny sides facing out, folded into cups and pinned with toothpicks. Each cup is filled about four-fifths full.
- The steamer water is brought to a boil, and the cups steam covered for about 10 minutes.
- The reserved coconut cream, lime leaf and red pepper go on top, and the cups steam for two minutes more.
- The amok is served warm with steamed jasmine rice.[1]