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Steamed Fish Curry from Cambodia

«Amok» is the national dish of Cambodia and it is available in a mind-boggling number of variations. Most of the recipes, however, consist of five components. The use of sweet-water fish, amok leaves, coconut milk and milder curry paste (or lemon grass paste and chili paste) and steaming as the cooking method (mostly in tiny baskets of banana leaves). Here we reconstruct the recipe of the «Amok» that Hektor Maille was served on his first evening in Cambodia in restaurant in the heart of Siem Reap.

This sweet-water fish comes traditionally, naturally, from the Tonle Sap (which translates as «Big Sea» in Khmer), the largest inland lake in south Asia and one of the biggest fish-yielding waters in the world. In the dry season the Tonle Sap is just about 3000 sq km large and 2 or 3 metres deep. In the monsoon, however, it swells to nearly 25'000 sq km in size due to an indirect inflow from the Mekong river and reaches a depth of 14 metres – which are ideal conditions for fish breeding. 

Amok is as a rule prepared with the tender-young, faintly bitter leaves of the Amok tree (Morinda citrifolia), which is also known as the Noni tree or the Nhor tree. In Europe one can find a Noni juice with particularly nutritional properties – however, the leaves are, as far as we know, not imported. Many recipes, however, recommend any number of substitutes ranging from basil to cabbage to spinach. Here we have used the green bit of Swiss chard (mangold), which are slightly bitter in taste.

The paste used in this recipe, known as «Kreoung» in Cambodia, is not very different from the pastes used in Thai cooking – but there is a notable variation in the amount of seasoning used and in the fact that there is absolutely no addition of dry spices.

1. Mince all ingredients of the paste with the help of a meat grinder – possibly two times until the paste seems fine enough. We have dealt with the basics of curry paste and its ingredients, principles and modalities of preparation in the chapter titled «Thai Currys».
2. Bone the fish fillet if necessary and chop in bite-sized pieces.
3. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of paste to the coconut milk unless dissolved. Add sugar and fish sauce.
4. Form six baskets out of the banana leaves (more about).
5. Display some Swiss chard stripes on the bottom of each basket, add some of the sauce with the pieces of fish. Put the baskets in the sieve-part of a steaming pot. Bring to boil the water in the lower part of the steaming pot, put on only now the sieve-part, cover and let cook the Amok for no longer than 7 minutes. The Amok should not cook longer than that because otherwise the coconut milk turns crumbly and the fish gets far less tender and juicy.

Those who do not want to make miniature baskets of banana leaves can simply fold banana leaves into little gratin forms. That way they will release their aroma into the preparation. In contrast to the thin little baskets, the gratin form is totally dense – a factor that prevents droplets of condensed water from escaping during the steaming process, with the result that it can be a bit moist.

More about the travel adventure of Secret Agent Hektor Maille:

• Episode 9: Straight Across Indochina
• Startpage of «Mission Kaki» (with overview map)
• More Recipes of the Secret Agent

On his way across Indo-China on different types of transportation, Hektor Maille found his menu reaching him in bits and pieces: While he enjoyed the main course in Siem Reap, he only got the starter much later in Ho Chi Minh City:

• Summer Rolls «DIY»
• Amok (Steamed Fish Curry from Cambodia)

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