About the Recipe
The picture does not do this dish justice; sometimes you get so hungry that you forget to take pictures! Anyways, this is my take on a dish that is popular in seafood restaurants in my hometown. I like to make this during Ramadan for our Iftar (breaking fast) because the combination of sour and sweet flavours acts an appetite enhancer. Serve with white rice and some fried vegetables on the side for a complete balanced meal.
Ingredients
Ingredients
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
Whole snapper or sea bass
Enough oil to fry the fish
Ingredients for the sauce:
1-inch cinnamon stick
5 garlic cloves, julienned
3-inch ginger, julienned
50 mL tamarind juice
150 mL hot water
1 tbsp sugar
1 large red chilli, julienned
1 large green chilli, julienned
1 onion, sliced into rings
2 birds eye chillies, sliced into long strips
Garnish
Crispy shallots
Chopped spring onions
Preparation
In a bowl, combine the turmeric and salt. Score the fish on both sides and season with the turmeric and salt rub. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
Heat enough oil in a wok and fry the fish till browned and crisp on both sides. Drain and set aside.
Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the oil in the wok. Add the cinnamon stick and fry for 20 seconds till fragrant. Add in the garlic and the ginger. Stir for few seconds then add in the tamarind juice, water, sugar, and the chillies. Leave to boil for 3 minutes.
Add the sliced onions and the fish. Stir to coat the fish into the sauce then transfer onto a serving plate. Garnish with the crispy shallots and chopped spring onions. Serve with white rice and fried vegetables on the side.
For a healthier alternative, skip the frying and steam the fish! I placed the fish on a piece of banana leaf in my steamer and steamed for 25 minutes. Then you can simply cook the sauce and drizzle on top before serving. This works best with a whole fish as you get better flavours from the bones and it retains the shape better.
