Asam Pedas

Ingredients

Fish

• 1 kgfirm fish: stingray, mackerel, red snapper or catfish, in steaks

Rempah

• 15dried chillies, soaked
• 8shallots
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 3cm galangal
• 2cm turmeric, or 1 tsp ground
• 2 stalkslemongrass
• 1 tbspbelacan, toasted

The sour

• 3 tbsptamarind pulp in 500 ml water, strained
• 2 piecesasam gelugur, dried sour fruit, optional

Vegetables

• 200 gokra
• 2tomatoes, quartered
• 1aubergine, in chunks
• 1bunga kantan, torch ginger flower, sliced
• a handful of daun kesum, Vietnamese coriander

Also

• 4 tbspoil
• 1 tspsugar
• salt

To serve

• white rice

Directions

1. Soak the dried chillies in hot water until soft, then drain them. Deseed some of them if you want colour without full heat, since dried chillies carry their heat in the seeds.
2. Blend the chillies with the shallots, garlic, galangal, turmeric and lemongrass into a smooth paste. Add a little oil rather than water to help it blend, since water makes a paste that spits and takes longer to fry. Now the belacan, which needs toasting.
3. Wrap the belacan in foil and toast it in a dry pan for 2 minutes on each side. Crumble the toasted belacan into the paste. Heat the oil and fry the paste over a medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Fry it until the oil separates and rises to the surface, and the paste darkens. It takes far longer than people expect and it cannot be rushed. Stir it regularly, since it catches as it thickens. Soak the tamarind pulp in warm water, work it with your fingers, and strain out the seeds and fibre.
5. Work it with your hands rather than just soaking it, since that is what releases the pulp. Add the tamarind water to the fried paste and bring it to a simmer. Add the asam gelugur pieces if using.
6. Simmer for 10 minutes so the flavours combine. It should be sour first, then hot, then savoury, with a little sugar to round it. Add sugar a little at a time. It is not there to sweeten but to take the hard edge off the tamarind, and too much makes the dish flat.
7. Season the finished gravy with salt. Add the aubergine first and cook 5 minutes, then the okra and tomatoes. Do not overcook the okra, which goes slimy and collapses. Shake the pan gently or spoon gravy over instead. It is done when the flesh flakes at the thickest point.
8. Add the sliced torch ginger flower and the daun kesum for the last 2 minutes. Now rest it off the heat for 10 minutes. Serve it with plenty of white rice, which is what the fierce sour gravy is for.

Technique

• Malacca and Johor versions differ in sourness and thickness.
• Bunga kantan and daun kesum are both essential and go in at the end.
• It is better the next day.

Substitutions

• Any firm fish that holds together in a stew.
• Extra tamarind if asam gelugur is unavailable.

Variations

• The Johor version, thicker and hotter.
• Made with prawns instead of fish.
• Asam pedas ayam, made with chicken.

Frequently asked questions

What is Asam Pedas?

Asam Pedas is a main from Malaysia: sour and fiery tamarind fish stew with okra and torch ginger.

How long does Asam Pedas take to make?

Asam Pedas takes 30 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Asam Pedas?

Yes, within limits. Any firm fish that holds together in a stew. Extra tamarind if asam gelugur is unavailable.

What is the most important thing to get right in Asam Pedas?

Blend the chillies with the shallots, garlic, galangal, turmeric and lemongrass into a smooth paste. Add a little oil rather than water to help it blend, since water makes a paste that spits and takes longer to fry. Now the belacan, which needs toasting.