Spicy Assam fish

-ingredients

• 1 kg mackerel (or ikan tenggiri), washed and sliced into pieces
• 300 g ladies fingers, cut into halves diagonally with both ends removed
• 1 medium tomato,cut into 6 wedges
• 50 g assam paste,mixed with 200 ml water
• cooking oil

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—spices

• 3 stalks lemongrass
• 25 g dried chilli, soaked in water and drained
• 150 g shallots, peeled
• 15 g tumeric, sliced
• 10 g galangal, sliced
• 20 g roasted shrimp paste (belacan)
• 2 to 3 candlenuts
• 1 stalk ginger flower

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—seasoning

• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt

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—garnishing

• 1 ginger flower bud
• 3 to 4 thinly-sliced lemongrass stalks

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-method

1. wash the spices and using a blender or a pestle and mortar, blend them until fine
2. heat cooking oil in a wok
3. stir fry all blended spices until fragrant
4. pour in the assa paste-water mixture and bring to boil
5. lace ladies fingers, tomato wedges and fish in the wok and simmer until cooked
6. add sugar, salt, and oyster sauce to taste
7. garnish with ginger flower and lemon grass

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