33. - Cambodia - Fish Amok and UFO's

amok  (əˈmʌk, əˈmɒk, əˈmʌk)

— n

1.                  a state of murderous frenzy

— adv

2.                  run amok  to run about with or as if with a frenzied desire to kill

                                                                                                                                      Collins Dictionary

While shopping for the ingredients for this, I was swiftly reminded that I stick out like a blonde in an Asian food store. Too often I don’t know how to find the food on the shelves, what it should look, taste or smells like. Sometimes I can’t even pronounce it.

During my recent re-encounter/reunion with the ethnic food store I was looking for ‘galangal’. Google tells me that it’s a member of the ginger family. I could see nothing that looked like a relative but took a guess and picked up two UFO’s  (Unidentified Food Objects). Below are both specimens, neither of which I actually believe is galangal, both of which I put into the curry paste. I’m just that bad ass.  

I had trouble getting the banana leaves too and found the last (gone off) ones in Dublin. I am not a talented Cambodian banana bowl maker. My banana bowls were bowls in spirit but not in function.

Fish Amok                                                                                                                             Rating: 7/10

Like being hit between the eyes with lemongrass, being kicked in the teeth with ginger and slapped in the face with a great big lime leaf. Curry paste so intensely flavoured it made my eyes water. Next time I’d lay off the lemongrass a bit. I can still taste it.

Serves 2

Curry Paste or Kroeung

­2 fresh chillies, seeds left in

8 cloves of garlic

1 red onion

1 tsp tumeric powder

4 sticks of lemongrass

Chunk of UFO specimen A

Chunk of UFO specimen B

Chunk of ginger

6 lime leaves

(1 tbsp shrimp paste, I couldn’t find this anywhere and left it out)

A few glugs of oil

The Rest (Amok)

2 fillets of hake, skin removed

can of coconut milk

tbsp sugar

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 eggs

Banana Bowl

2 banana leaves

cocktail sticks

fresh red chilli and lime leaves to garnish

Roughly chop and blend all the curry paste ingredients in a blender. Fry the curry paste in a little oil for about five minutes. Add the coconut oil, sugar, fish paste and simmer for a further ten minutes or so (it tastes better than it looks). Leave to chill.  

While this is chillin you can make the banana bowls. (Or not. You can screw the banana bowls and just use a normal bowls). Make them anyway you can. I cannot give advice on this beyond fold up the corners, thread with cocktail sticks and keep your fingers crossed. I made an external tinfoil bowl as backup. I advise you do the same.

Dice the fish into bite sized pieces. Once the coconut mixture is cool beat in the eggs and mix in the fish. Divide into the banana bowls (or normal bowls), and steam for 20-25 minutes until the amok has just set. Coat the fish skin in some seasoned flour and fry in some oil until crispy. Chop and scatter on the amok with some sliced fresh red chilli and lime leaves. Serve with steamed rice and eat with chopsticks (even if the Cambodians don’t.)