Ikan Assam Pedas

Assam Pedas is a traditional dish that is mostly popular in West Malaysia than it is in East Malaysia or Sabah, where I am from. I never heard such a dish exist until I had a chance to study at Sunway College. In Sabah, this dish is more commonly prepared with just mackerel fish, salt and tumeric. Simple and fast.

Recipe: Ikan Assam Pedas
~adapted: RasaMalaysia

Things you need...

• Mackerel fish or any fish is fine
• 1 tsp of Baba's fish curry
• 1 tsp of tumeric powder (if you have fresh tumeric, it will taste alot better)
• 1 cup of tamarind juice
• 2 tbsps of tomato sauce
• 3 small cloves of crushed garlic (I love garlic. You can reduce the amount if you don't like as much)
• 3 small crushed shallots
• 1 tsp of ginger paste or fresh ginger is fine too
• 1 stalk of lemongrass (white part only)
• 4 chilies or more depending how spicy you want it
• 2 kaffir lime leaves/daun kesum (couldn't find daun kesum also known as Vietnamese mint, so I replaced with kaffir lime leaves)
• 1tsp of belacan (shrimp paste) or according to your liking
• palm sugar or regular sugar to taste
• salt to taste
• vegetable oil
  

Heat oil in pan. Meanwhile, blend garlic, shallots, ginger and chilies to make a paste.
When hot, add in the paste, lemongrass, daun limau and cook until golden brown.
Add in curry powder with tumeric powder and cook until fragrant.
Add in belacan and cook for about a minute before you add in the fish.
Now, add the fish along with tamarind juice and simmer on low heat until done.
When the fish is cook, add salt and sugar to taste. Lastly, I add 2 tbsps of tomato sauce bagi dia masam sikit.
Enjoy...

Categories: fish, malaysian, seafood