Cambodian recipe
How to make Fish amok
អាម៉ុកត្រី
Across Cambodia, believed to date back to the royal kitchens of the Khmer Empire
Pieces of freshwater fish in a mixture of kroeung paste, coconut milk and egg, steamed in a cup of banana leaves until it sets to a soft, mousse-like curry. It is topped with a spoon of thick coconut cream and strips of kaffir lime leaf and eaten with rice. Many see it as Cambodia's national dish.
Ingredients
- 600 g firm white fish fillets (catfish, cod or snapper), cut into 3 cm pieces
- For the paste: 2 stalks lemongrass (sliced), 4 cm galangal or ginger, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 4 cloves garlic, 3 shallots, 4 kaffir lime leaves
- 400 ml coconut milk, with 4 tablespoons of the thick cream set aside
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce and 1 teaspoon palm or brown sugar
- A handful of spinach or chard leaves
- Banana leaves or 4 small heatproof bowls, and 2 kaffir lime leaves cut into very thin strips to finish
Method
- Pound or blend the lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, garlic, shallots and lime leaves to a smooth paste with a splash of water. This is your kroeung.
- Mix the paste with the coconut milk, beaten eggs, fish sauce and sugar. Stir in the fish pieces and leave for 10 minutes.
- Line 4 banana-leaf cups or small bowls with the spinach or chard leaves, then spoon in the fish mixture.
- Steam over boiling water for 20 to 25 minutes, until the curry is set and firm in the middle, like a soft custard.
- Top each cup with a spoon of the thick coconut cream and a few strips of lime leaf, and serve hot with steamed rice.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
The fish is traditionally laid on leaves of the noni tree (great morinda) inside the banana-leaf cup. Outside Cambodia, cooks often use spinach or chard instead.
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