Nyonya Tamarind Fish (Ikan Gerang Assam)

I always loves to eat fish in tamarind sauce; it is so appetizing.  Just mentioned cooked spicy sour sauce will just makes me drool.

Previous I used to buy the ready mix sauce which is much easier and thought I would like to give it a try to make the tamarind sauce my own.

 

Gerang Asam

Nyonya Tamarind Fish

Recipe source from masam manis
(I only cooked half of the recipe here)
Original By: Chef Florence Tan
 Recipes from the Nyonya Kitchen

Ingredient
175 ml or 3/4 cup cooking oil
3 cups tamarind juice or 750 ml water + 75 gm tamarind pulp
900 gm Spanish Mackerel or any fish 

2 kaffir lime leaves ~ optional
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
20 young lady's fingers (I didn't add)

Finely Ground Paste
20 dried chillies, soaled in water and drained
18 shallots, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
5 candlenuts
1/2 inc fresh turmeric, peeled
1 inc galangal, peeled
4 stalks lemon grass, sliced
11/2 teaspoons crushed dried shrimp paste

Method
Heat the cooking oil and fry finely ground paste until fragrant
Add the tamarind juice and bring to a boil. Simmer for 4 minutes
Increase the heat and add fish, kaffir lime leaves, sugar and salt.
Cook for 4 minutes.
Add lady's fingers and cooked for another 5 minutes until the fish is done and lady's fingers are tender.

If you loves this type of spicy and sour sauce, you will go for second helping!
Was it spicy?  No, I don't think so.....though the colour looks like sooooo hot and spicy here!