assam pedas ikan pari

Ahhh…Assam Pedas. The staple dish in every Malay home.

Mum cooks this dish once every week, without fail.

I used to dislike it and kept complaining to her that we needed to experiment with new dishes.

But as the years went by, I’ve developed a liking to Assam Pedas.  I like it best if the gravy is thick. The best fish for Assam Pedas in my humble opinion is Stingray.

I’ve yet to find a yummy version of Assam Pedas sold outside, that could compare to my Mum’s version. But then again, I could be biased. 😉

So, I’d better keep this recipe so I could cook it anytime I want. 🙂

Ingredients:

4 – 5 tbsp Chilli Paste (Dried Chill and Onion Blend)

1 Lemongrass (pounded slighty)

1 Galangal (pounded slightly)

2.5cm Fresh Turmeric (pounded slightly) / 1 tbsp Turmeric Powder

Assam Paste (about the size of ping pong ball) – dissolved in 1.5 bowl of water

Handful of Daun Kesom (Laksa Leaves)

Method:

1. Heat 2 – 3 heaping tbsp of oil in a pot.
2. Add all ingredients except for Assam Water & Laksa Leaves.
3. Fry until paste turns dark red (or as Malays would call it, “tumis sampai garing”).
4. Add Assam Water & Laksa Leaves
5. Add salt to taste.
6. Leave gravy to boil.
7. Simmer and add preferred fish (Stingray / Tenggiri / Red Snapper)
8. Serve with piping hot rice.

P.S. My mum uses the agar-ation method (just a matter of adding ingredients to taste) and is hopeless at giving specific measurements & quantities for the ingredients. But her dishes always turn out yummy! It’s all in the hand, I suppose! 🙂

So hopefully, I’ve been able to recreate her version by observing her when she cooks Assam Pedas. :p