The hidden treasures of Cambodia: Fish Amok

Passport & Plate - Fish Amok

Cambodia | Sunday, March 9, 2014 | 5 photos

Ingredients
Curry Paste

3cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large shallot bulb, finely chopped
3 stalks lemongrass, ends trimmed, inner tender stalk only, finely chopped
½ inch piece galangal, peeled and finely chopped
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons chili paste

Fish Amok

1 cup coconut milk
½ teaspoon shrimp paste
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¾ pound firm, mild white fish
1 egg
1 tablespoon fish sauce

 

How to prepare this recipe
Make this curry paste with a mortar and pestle or use a food processor. Place the first 5 ingredients in a mortar and pestle and pound to a paste. Add the remaining ingredients and pound or process until all spices are well blended.

Fish Amok

Thinly slice the fish into ½-insh thick bite size pieces and set aside. Combine the curry paste, shrimp paste, coconut milk, sugar and salt, whisking to combine. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste mixture and turn the heat to medium and simmer for 2-3 minutes, whisking occasionally. Add the fish, gently folding the fish into the curry sauce. Let the amok simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through. Turn the heat off. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with the fish sauce and 2 tablespoons of the curry sauce from the pan. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and gently fold into the curry.

Serve the amok in a bowl with a spoonful of coconut cream and a sprinkling of kaffir lime leaf ribbons.

 

The story behind this recipe
To me, Fish Amok symbolizes giving the unknown a chance and the warmhearted reward of entering into a new culture. Cambodia is a heavy word that drags along with it connotations of conquest and corruption. It was the country I was most heavily warned against visiting. What I found beyond the danger was a misunderstood country that needs to be discovered on its own terms. Inside the sweaty and ruthless capital of Phnom Penh the people are kind and the food is delicious. Before crossing over the border from Thailand to Cambodia I was in love with Pad Thai and excited to test out Vietnamese Pho. However I had never heard of Khmer cuisine. I had my taste buds turned upside down when I was faced with my first steaming plate of the national Cambodian dish Fish Amok. The fresh fish comes from the abundance of water sources and is a staple of their diet. Navigating the loud, hot, claustrophobic food markets is a daunting experience and an assault on the senses. Hidden in the depths of these markets the freshly caught fish writhe on chopping blocks before they meet their end at the cleaver of a lady crouched among bowls of fruit. Cambodian food is less spicy than Thai food but Fish Amok is far from less flavorful. They have developed a way to combine spices that give the dish a punch of flavor with out an overwhelming spicy kick. The gentle blend of spices reflects the ambiguous smiles on the temples and faces of the Cambodian people. You can taste the gentle nudge of chili and the tart hint of lemon grass. The salty national favorite fish paste punches out the sweet coconut tenderness. Fish Amok and Khmer cuisine are as underrated as the country itself and should not be missed.