Spicy Tamarind Fish

I have a very selective memory. I am terribly bad in remembering mathematics formulas or important historical facts, but I remember many insignificant little things in life.

This is the first dish I cooked in the kitchen of the first apartment I owned. In Penang. 15 years ago. It's a very simple dish with cheap ingredients and simple steps, but it has a bold flavour. The sauce is very light, almost broth-like. The balanced heat and sourness arouse the palates and it's great to serve with steamed rice.

Busy corporate working life meant less time for cooking then. The abundance of cheap and delicious street food in Penang didn't help either. I probably cooked in my kitchen less than 10 times in total. Most of the cooking was done in the first month after moving into the apartment.

It is still hard for me to write about my time in Penang. I had the best 4 years of my life in Uni there and yet I hit the lowest point 8 years after I set foot on the island. Nevertheless it's an important period which has partly moulded me into who I am today.

Spicy Tamarind Fish
Serves 4

* Note: This is not 'Ikan Assam Pedas', it's a simplified and lighter version that I came up with for a easy weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

4 x 200 g Spanish mackerel cutlets (* I couldn't get Spanish mackerel on the day I made this dish, I used mullet instead)
6 Asian shallots
4 fresh red chilli
2 cm piece ginger
2 pieces asam gelugor / asam keping (dried tamarind fruit slice, available from Asian supermarkets)

1 tbsp sugar
12 cherry truss tomatoes
Salt to taste

Method

1. Place shallot, chilli and ginger in a mortar and pestle or a food processor. Pound or whiz until it forms a fine paste.

   

2. Place the paste mixture in a saucepan and 2 cups of water on high heat. Bring to a boil.

   

3. Add fish cutlets, asam gelugor, sugar, tomatoes and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer a few minutes until the fish is cooked. Season to taste with salt.
4. Serve immediately with steamed rice.