Asam Padeh (Asam Pedas): Malay Tamarind and Chilli Fish Curry
Asam padeh in Indonesian, or asam pedas in Malay, is a common fish curry made using a paste of dried chillies and tamarind, giving it a refreshing yet complex flavour.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 35 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4 fish steaks
- Juice from one lime
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- 200 ml water
- 1 large onion or 8 shallots, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 inch ginger, sliced
- 1 inch galangal, sliced
- 20 dried chillies, deseeded
- Pinch of turmeric powder
- 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised and sliced
- 3 lime leaves, torn
- Another 400 ml water
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt to taste
- Pinch of sugar
Instructions
- 1
Squeeze the lime over the fish and marinate with salt. Set aside.
- 2
Dilute the tamarind paste in 200ml of water. Strain. Set aside.
- 3
Boil the deseeded dried chillies for 5 minutes. Strain.
- 4
Blend into a fine paste: chillies, onion, garlic, ginger and galangal.
- 5
In a wok or pot, heat the oil over a medium flame.
- 6
Add the blended paste. Saute until the paste thickens and the water has mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes.
- 7
Add the lemongrass and turmeric powder. Mix well.
- 8
Add the diluted tamarind paste. Mix well.
- 9
Add the 400ml water, salt and sugar. Let it boil for about 15 minutes.
- 10
Add the lime leaves and the fish. Cook for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, you can adjust the seasoning.
- 11
Turn off the flame and serve.