Fish Amok (Cambodian Steamed Fish Curry)

About This Recipe

Fish amok (amok trey) is widely considered Cambodia's national dish, and one of the most refined examples of Khmer cuisine's love affair with fragrant herb pastes and coconut cream. At its heart it is a steamed mousseline: firm freshwater fish — traditionally snakehead from the Tonle Sap — is gently folded with kroeung, the foundational Cambodian curry paste of lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, kaffir lime zest, garlic and shallots, then enriched with thick coconut cream, beaten egg and a touch of fish sauce and palm sugar. The mixture is spooned into folded banana-leaf cups and steamed until the proteins set into something halfway between a custard and a soufflé, fragrant, just barely sweet, and the color of pale gold from the turmeric. Unlike Thai curries that come fast and pungent, amok is a contemplative dish, ceremonial in feel; it appears at Khmer New Year tables, at weddings, and in Phnom Penh restaurants serving the diaspora returning home. The dish is sometimes called the most poetic in Southeast Asia, and once you've tasted a properly made one — silky, perfumed, restrained — you will understand why.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gfirm white fish fillets (snakehead, catfish, or substitute cod), skinless, cut into 3 cm pieces
• 4 stalkslemongrass, tender inner parts only, very finely sliced
• 1 thumbfresh galangal, peeled and sliced
• 1 thumbfresh turmeric (or 1 tsp ground turmeric)
• 6kaffir lime leaves (3 for paste, 3 sliced for garnish), tough stems removed
• 5shallots and 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 400 mlthick coconut cream (the first-press top of a tin)
• 2large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tbspfish sauce, plus 1 tbsp palm sugar and 1 tsp shrimp paste (kapi)
• 4 largebanana leaves cut into 20 cm squares (or use small ramekins)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the kroeung paste

   Pound the lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, 3 kaffir lime leaves, shallots and garlic in a heavy mortar to a smooth fibrous paste — 15–20 minutes of steady work. A food processor with 1 tbsp of water can substitute, but the texture is coarser. The paste should be brilliant yellow and very fragrant.

   The classic Khmer rule: pound the hardest ingredients first (galangal, turmeric) and add softer ones (garlic, shallots) at the end so everything reaches paste consistency together.

2. 2

   Mix the filling

   In a large bowl, whisk together the kroeung, shrimp paste, fish sauce, palm sugar, and 300 ml of the coconut cream until smooth. Beat in the eggs. Fold in the fish pieces gently so they're evenly coated but not broken. Let stand 10 minutes to absorb the flavors.

3. 3

   Prepare banana-leaf cups

   Soften banana leaves by passing each square briefly over a gas flame or dunking in boiling water — they go from stiff to pliable and develop a deeper green. Form into shallow cups by folding the corners up and securing each with a wooden toothpick. Alternatively, use 250 ml ceramic ramekins lined with smaller leaf squares for presentation.

4. 4

   Fill the cups

   Spoon the fish mixture into the cups, dividing equally and filling to within 1 cm of the rim. The mixture rises slightly as it steams, so do not overfill. Top each portion with a teaspoon of the remaining thick coconut cream — this is the silky crown that marks a proper amok.

5. 5

   Steam

   Set the cups in a bamboo or metal steamer over rapidly boiling water. Steam covered for 20–25 minutes, until the surface is just set and a knife tip inserted comes out clean. The center should still tremble slightly when nudged — this is the texture you want, halfway between a custard and a fish mousse.

6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Lift the cups out carefully (they're hot) and rest 2 minutes. Top each with a few wisps of the remaining sliced kaffir lime leaf and a couple of slivers of red chilli for color. Serve immediately with jasmine rice. Amok is meant to be eaten with a spoon, scooped down through the silky top into the fragrant fish beneath.

Variations

• •

  Chicken amok (amok sach moan) — substitute boneless chicken thigh in 2 cm pieces; extend steaming to 30 minutes.

• •

  Tofu amok — replace fish with firm tofu for a vegetarian version; add a handful of julienned bamboo shoots for texture.

• •

  Add fresh nhor (sour Cambodian leaves) or baby spinach to the bottom of each cup for a vegetal counterpoint.

• •

  Phnom Penh restaurant style: serve in a young coconut shell instead of banana leaf for theatrical presentation.

Storage

Best eaten within an hour of steaming. Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days in airtight containers; re-steam gently to warm through (never microwave — coconut cream splits). Not suitable for freezing as the egg custard texture collapses.

Frequently Asked Questions