Thursday, April 26, 2012

Classic Fish Recipes From Cambodia and Myanmar


I would like to share two simple classic fish dishes from Cambodia and Myanmar. It is an all-time favorite of mine and created for my previous restaurant Road to Mandalay.  You can substitute the white fish (the firmer, the better) with large shrimp or any seafood you have on hand.

Si Byan (Burmese Fish) in 15 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs cod fillet or halibut, sea bass, etc - into 1-inch chunks
1-inch chunk ginger
2 tsp turmeric powder
¼ cup of vegetable oil
3 med. tomatoes, small chunks
3 med. onions, minced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 inch of ginger, minced
2 tbsp sweet paprika 1 tsp hot paprika or 2 fresh chili peppers
 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
¼ cup of vegetable or fish stock
½ cup cilantro leaves (reserve some for garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a mixing bowl, marinade the fish with salt, pepper and turmeric for five minutes.
2. In a frying pan, heat the oil and mix in the onion till lightly brown and add in ginger, chili (if not using paprika) and garlic till fragrant.  Add in the paprika then immediately the fish and let it seared then stir in tomatoes, liquid stock and cook for five minutes.
3. Lower the heat and add fish sauce, coriander and simmer for another
2 minutes.  Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot with steamed jasmine rice.

Amok Fish Steamed in Coconut Shell

Cambodian Fish Amok 
Makes: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS
1lb White Fish Fillets, e.g. (Catfish, Cod, Haddock, Sole, etc)
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
1 Red Onion, chopped