Today's RECIPE, Gulai Tumis Bawal Hitam/Spicy Tamarind Nyonya Fish Curry, is a delicious spicy and sour curry. You can opt to use stingray or other types of your favorite fish for this dish. Make more of the spice paste for future use as they freeze well.

Recipe by Mama Ding

Total Time | Prep Time | Cook Time

45 mins 15 mins 30 mins

Servings : 2 - 4

Ingredients

Spice Paste (To blend/pound):
15g/10 dried red chillies, soaked in hot water and drained
2 fresh red chillies
100 g/10 shallots
20 g/3 cloves garlic
2 stalks lemongrass(white part only) - sliced
3 cm fresh turmeric, peeled and sliced or 1 tsp tumeric powder
15 g shrimp paste/belacan
Other ingredients:
1 black pomfret (about 600 g), cleaned and scored
1 tbsp tamarind paste in 350 ml water
3 tbsp oil
10 ladies fingers, sliced into 3 cm pieces
1 purple brinjal/aubergine, sliced into 1 cm thickness
3 tomatoes, quartered
1 stalk torch ginger flower, quartered (optional)
a few stalks of Vietnamese mint/daun kesum (optional)
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 1/2 tbsp sugar or to taste

Method

01 Blend the spice ingredients in a blender( or pound in a mortar and pestle ) until fine. Set aside. Mix tamarind pulp with water and strain to extract the juice.

02 Heat oil in wok/pot, saute blended spice paste until the oil separates, about 10 mins. Add the tamarind juice and bring to boil for 5-10 minutes until aromatic.

03 Add all the vegetables(ladies finger, brinjal/aubergine, tomatoes) and bring to the boil again.

Add the fish, bring to boil for about 5 minutes or until fish is cooked. Season with salt and sugar.

04 Add the Vietnamese mint/daun kesum and torch ginger flower, if using. Cook for 5 mins. Turn off heat.

Dish out to serve.

Notes

Use more dried chillies if you prefer your curry to be more spicy. If you are unable to obtain the torch ginger flower and Vietnamese mint, it is okay to omit them but they do lend a nice fragrance to the dish.