Recipe for Outstanding, Zingingly Hot Thai Fish
Created | Updated Oct 27, 2003
I don't claim this as an authentic Thai dish, more of a composite made up of common elements in several other recipes. Anyway, it's a great recipe that has been developed through practice and experimentation (so all ingredients are added according to personal preference.) It needn't be lethally hot, but if you don't like spicy food it's best to leave this one alone.
Ingredients
Sufficient fish for however many people you're cooking for. The best fish for this is tilapia, however any white fish will do. (Nothing smoked.)
(Quantities are not given for ingredients, as they are to be added according to personal preference.)
Chillis: red birdseye chillis are best, but only use 2 or 3 since they are lethally hot. If they're the large kind, use the same amount, plus some (optional) chilli powder to give the same degree of heat.
Lemon grass
Shallots
Garlic cloves
Galangal
Spring onions (optional)
Creamed coconut (a tbsp. or so)
Tamarind
Lime (1-2 depending on how many folk it's for, and how strongly-flavoured you want it.)
Ground cumin (not much)
Ground coriander (more)
Rice; about 4 fluid ounces per person.
Coriander leaf
Slice the chillis into shreds (it's not necessary to remove the seeds, but they are the hottest part and *be careful* of your fingers. Wear gloves if you're thinking of scratching yourself or poking others at any time during the rest of the day). Chop up the shallots, garlic, and sprongions and put them in a large saucepan about 1/3 full of water. It's not necessary to slice the lemon grass or galangal; add to water along with tamarind and coconut. Set to boil. (This will henceforth be termed 'stew'.)
Cook the fish in a frying pan with a little water. When it's boiling (or the fish is defrosted, if it was frozen), pour the fish stock into the stew. Squeeze a little lime juice over the fish, plus some ground coriander.
Add ground coriander and cumin to the stew. Leave it until it has reduced to a fairly thick translucent liquid; tastewise it must be somewhat too hot/spicy for preference.
Add rice to the stew, along with twice as much water as there is rice (I recommend 5 fluid ounces per person). Cover.
Make sure fish is sufficiently cooked; serve rice on a large soup-type plate, along with the liquid from the stew (remove lemon grass, galangal, and any lumps of tamarind that remain.) Place fish on top, sprinkle with coriander leaf. Take it somewhere comfortable, and commence troughage!
(Then let us know if it was agreeable, or disastrous. You can rinse off the lemon grass and use it again a couple of times, which I also do with the galangal; however I am cheap.)
Ingredients
Sufficient fish for however many people you're cooking for. The best fish for this is tilapia, however any white fish will do. (Nothing smoked.)
(Quantities are not given for ingredients, as they are to be added according to personal preference.)
Chillis: red birdseye chillis are best, but only use 2 or 3 since they are lethally hot. If they're the large kind, use the same amount, plus some (optional) chilli powder to give the same degree of heat.
Lemon grass
Shallots
Garlic cloves
Galangal
Spring onions (optional)
Creamed coconut (a tbsp. or so)
Tamarind
Lime (1-2 depending on how many folk it's for, and how strongly-flavoured you want it.)
Ground cumin (not much)
Ground coriander (more)
Rice; about 4 fluid ounces per person.
Coriander leaf
Slice the chillis into shreds (it's not necessary to remove the seeds, but they are the hottest part and *be careful* of your fingers. Wear gloves if you're thinking of scratching yourself or poking others at any time during the rest of the day). Chop up the shallots, garlic, and sprongions and put them in a large saucepan about 1/3 full of water. It's not necessary to slice the lemon grass or galangal; add to water along with tamarind and coconut. Set to boil. (This will henceforth be termed 'stew'.)
Cook the fish in a frying pan with a little water. When it's boiling (or the fish is defrosted, if it was frozen), pour the fish stock into the stew. Squeeze a little lime juice over the fish, plus some ground coriander.
Add ground coriander and cumin to the stew. Leave it until it has reduced to a fairly thick translucent liquid; tastewise it must be somewhat too hot/spicy for preference.
Add rice to the stew, along with twice as much water as there is rice (I recommend 5 fluid ounces per person). Cover.
Make sure fish is sufficiently cooked; serve rice on a large soup-type plate, along with the liquid from the stew (remove lemon grass, galangal, and any lumps of tamarind that remain.) Place fish on top, sprinkle with coriander leaf. Take it somewhere comfortable, and commence troughage!
(Then let us know if it was agreeable, or disastrous. You can rinse off the lemon grass and use it again a couple of times, which I also do with the galangal; however I am cheap.)
