Amok Trey - Steamed Fish Curry - Traditional Cambodian Dish

      AMOK is a traditional Cambodian dish, it is made when people have free time, meet with family or have celebrations, such as the Water Festival, and parties.

Traditionally it is cooked and served in banana leaves or sometimes a coconut shell. Cooking Amok involves using ‘Prahok’ which is a fish paste that is made in Cambodia and has the nickname ‘Cambodian cheese’ however it is nothing like cheese! It has a very strong and distinct smell and is why it has this nickname – it is actually made from fermenting crushed fish, the fish is crushed and left in the sun for a day or so and then salted and added to jars – which people can keep up to 3 years!

This paste is used in cooking many Cambodian dishes.

The other Saturday morning Narong and Pheakadey gave me a lesson in how to make Amok. You can use any meat or tofu to make this but we went for traditional fish amok. Everyone has their own way of making Amok - this is theirs....

Freshly made Coconut milk

This is the lovely Prahok Paste......just be glad you can't smell it...

Narong making the Koreung Paste

Kroeung Paste

Finger root, Fresh Kaffir Lime leaves, Chilli, Garlic

Steaming away

Serves 4

For the Kroeung Paste:

Lemongrass – 3 sticks finely sliced (with the outer layer peeled off if particularly ‘woody’)

Garlic cloves – 6 cloves

Fresh Kaffir Lime Leaves – 2 leaves finely sliced

Finger-root – Chinese ginger – 4 cms, sliced – can use Galangal instead (the outside peeled)

Turmeric – 4 cms, sliced

Dried Red Chilli – 2 mild medium sized with seeds – rehydrated and finely sliced

Prahok paste or fish/shrimp paste can be use, if you do not have either of these fish sauce can be substituted. – 1/2 teaspoon

To make the paste:

Preferably in a pestle and mortar but a blender can be used, make the Kroeung paste by first pounding the Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Finger-root (Galangal), Turmeric together.

Then add the garlic, red chilli and Prahok paste/shrimp paste together until a smooth paste is formed.

For the Curry:

Fresh water fish with the skin on – 400g

1 large can of coconut milk (for a better taste make coconut milk from a fresh coconut)

Kroeung Paste – 1 tbsp

Sugar – 3 tsp

Vegetable Stock powder – 1 tsp

2 large mild red chilli - finely sliced

2 fresh Kaffir Lime leaves – finely sliced

1 whole egg – beaten

Nori Leaves/ Chinese Kale (leaves only) can be used instead.

Salt if necessary

For the Garnish:

1 fresh Kaffir Lime leaf leaf, finely sliced

1 mild red chilli – finely sliced

For serving in:

Four banana leaves shaped into a bowl and held together with cocktail sticks (ensuring there are no gaps so the mixture doesn’t leak out) or 4 small shallow ovenproof dishes

Instructions:

1.     Take the skin off the fish and slice into 1 inch cubes and put to one side.

2.     If using a fresh coconut  – grate the coconut into a bowl and then add 3/4 pint of warm water to the grated coconut. Leave this to stand for 10 mins to allow the milk to form.

3.     Strain the mixture through a sieve over another bowl and press the coconut to get as much of the milk out. Keep this to one side.

4.     Mix the Kroeung paste and half a pint of the coconut milk

5.     Heat this coconut milk & paste mixture, sugar and stock in a pan. Bring to the boil, making sure it doesn’t burn, and reduce by half. Remove from the heat and set to one side to cool. Adjust the seasoning if necessary

6.     Add the rest of the coconut milk to a pan and reduce until you reach a thick consistency. Set aside - this will be used for garnish

7.     Line the bottom of the banana leaves/bowls with Nori/Chinese Kale leaves.

8.     Add the beaten egg to the cooled coconut and paste mixture (if the liquid is too warm the egg will scramble, which is not what you want), followed by the rest of the torn nori leaves/Chinese Kale and the fish. Mix altogether.

9.     Then place the mixture in the banana leaves or bowls, spoon over a tbsp of the thick, reduced coconut milk and garnish with the sliced chilli and sliced kaffir lime leaves.

10.  Place in a steamer. If you do not have a steamer a larger saucepan with an inch or so of water in with some upturned bowls to put the dishes on works just as well, and cover. Cooking time will vary but the maximum should be 20mins.

Serve with steamed rice.