Fish Amok - The Recipe

A while ago I wrote of the fabulous fish amok I learnt to cook at Frizz's Restaurant cooking school in Phnom Penh.  Back when I wrote the post I'd lost the recipe book they gave me but a friend of mine popped in and grabbed me another which she's just delivered to me in the UK.  So, as promised back then, here's the recipe.  This is such a great dish, the depth of flavour you get with the coconut based curries from that part of the world delicately set with the addition on an egg and the steaming to cook.  Now the recipe's here I'm going to be recreating the dish and I recommend you do the same.

Fish Amok, for 2

Kroeung (curry paste)

2 dried chillies, soaked
3 cloves garlic
1 shallot
3 stalks of lemongrass, trimmed to the tender middle bit
1cm slice of galangal
1 lime leaf
1 ts salt

Amok

400gr of meaty white fish, chopped into bite size bits
1 TB of fish sauce
2 birds eye chilies, finely sliced
500ml coconut milk
1 ts shrimp paste
1 egg

Coconut cream and 4 shredded kaffir lime leaves to serve.

4 banana leaves to make cups, or a couple of bowls I guess

Method

Make the paste either in a pestle and mortar or a processor.

Beat the egg and the shrimp paste together then mix with the curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce and fish.

If using, soften the banana leaves by dipping briefly in boiling water or running through a gas flame then cut into circles by cutting around a 25cm-ish plate.  Place two together and then fold the sides up into a cup, securing each corner fold with a cocktail stick.  The first thread - here - shows what you're aiming for. Repeat for the second cup.

Split the curry between the two cups then steam for 20 minutes.  A couple of minutes before the end you can pour a little coconut cream on to each curry and sprinkle with some shredded lime leaves.  Serve with boiled rice and enjoy.

Comments

[Lotus]

Oh dear Lord, I am just loving your blog and the eclectic recipes. I am especially grateful for the Fish Amok recipe. I first tried Amok at a restaurant called "Khmer Surin" in Phnom Penh and my tastebuds did a little dance...it was so flavorful. On my way out I managed to find a bottle of "Amok" curry powder at the airport, but I would much rather make my own...

I will be trying your recipe soon, thanks a bunch!

[drfugawe]

you said, "Beat the egg and the shrimp paste together ..."

And what egg do you refer to?

[Joshua Armstrong]

The egg's now included.

Thanks for pointing that out.

Joshua

[Isabelle]

I just came back from Cambodia et brought some Amok curry powder that I bought on the market in Siem Reap but not the recipe.
I have about 200mg of powder but I don't know how much of powder is to be used let's say for 2, which is (folowing your recipe) for 400mg of fish and 500ml of coconut milk.
Thanks

[Lauren]

Great! I went to Cambodia last year and I could not get enough of amok! i'm so happy i've found a recipe to re-create it at home, cant wait to try it! Thanks for sharing.

[Richard Hughes]

Heya - I've just come back from Cambodia, and am glad to have found the Frizz restaurant recipe for Amok on your blog! I managed to eat there, but sadly not take the cooking class.

I'll be reproducing the Frizz recipe (via your blog) as part of a blog post on www.youngausskeptics.com sometime in the next couple of days (I write, but don't schedule the site) -- full with credit and links to your blog, of course.

Cheers, and keep up the food blogging!

Richard

[Richard Hughes]

Heya - I've just come back from Cambodia, and am glad to have found the Frizz restaurant recipe for Amok on your blog! I managed to eat there, but sadly not take the cooking class.

I'll be reproducing the Frizz recipe (via your blog) as part of a blog post on www.youngausskeptics.com sometime in the next couple of days (I write, but don't schedule the site) -- full with credit and links to your blog, of course.

Cheers, and keep up the food blogging!

Richard

[lynda young]

just returned from a 3 month holiday to s.e.asia.On my travels I visited Cambodia -6 days in Phnom Penh (loved it!)I took a cooking class at Frizz -fantastic ! Now home with my recipe book & after the jetlag is over, will get started on the recipes, starting with the fish amok! I heartily agree it is delicious- hope to impress friends with its presentation!

[Roberto]

Thanks for the recipe. Can you tell us how you steam the amok?

[Joshua Armstrong]

Hi Roberto. Sorry for the delay. To steam just place in a heatproof bowl (in fact a cereal bowl should be fine) inside a big steamer. for other steamed dishes I've even scrunched up tin foil to make a 3cm high platform, placed this in the bottom of a big saucepan of stockpot and placed the bowl on top. Put 2-3cm of water in the saucepan, place a lid on and put the saucepan on the heat to steam contents of bowl.

[Ben]

If one reduces the amount of coconut milk to 1/3 cup, a great way to steam amok is in collard green leaves. Pre boil the leaves for about five minutes, drain and wrap amok in the leaves. Then steam .it sets nicely and the edible collards add a nice flavor. Love to have it with a chick pea,eggplant, and cauliflower in red curry.