Assam Fish Curry

I wanted to cook fish tonight, but was not too keen to have fried or grilled fish. I thought of this appetizing dish, the tamarind (assam) gave it the sour taste and a lift, best served over fluffy white rice.

Ingredients

Spice blend

2 large onions

2 cloves garlic

2 stalks of lemon grass

3 chillies, deseeded

3 cm piece of ginger (or galangal if you can find some)

3 cm piece of tumeric

1 tsp of belacan (Malaysian dried shrimp paste)

2 tomatoes

2 skinny eggplants

6 okras

Other vegetables are all optional eg. Cabbage, pumpkin, carrots

3 pieces of white fish fillets

2 tbsp cooking oil

½ water

2 tbsp tamarind paste

Salt to taste

Method

1.          Blend all the spices and onions in a blender, add 1 tbsp of water to aid the blending process. Add or subtract chillies as per your preference.

2.          Heat oil in pan.

3.          Sauté the spice blend until the onion is soft.

4.          Mix the tamarind paste in the water and add it to the pan.

5.          Then add the vegetables in order of the time they need cooking. (Hardest vegies go in first eg. Carrots).

6.          Add the fish and okra last as you don’t want to overcook these.

7.          Add some water if it gets too dry.