Fish Amok (Cambodian Coconut Fish Curry)

About This Recipe

Fish amok (amok trei) is Cambodia's signature dish and one of Southeast Asia's most delicate curries. Freshwater fish — traditionally snakehead or catfish — is folded into a fragrant paste of lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, kaffir lime, and garlic (the holy quintet known as kroeung), enriched with coconut cream and palm sugar, and steamed in cups made from banana leaves until the mixture sets into a soft, savory custard. The texture is the magic: somewhere between a mousse and a curry, fragrant rather than fiery, with delicate noni or morning-glory leaves layered at the bottom. Amok is Cambodia's flag-bearer dish — served at Pchum Ben festivals, wedding banquets, and every restaurant catering to visitors in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gwhite firm-fleshed fish (snakehead, catfish, cod, or tilapia), cubed
• 4 stalkslemongrass, tender white parts only, sliced
• 4 clovesgarlic
• 3shallots
• 1 thumbgalangal (or ginger as substitute)
• 1 thumbfresh turmeric (or 1 tsp dried)
• 6kaffir lime leaves, stems removed
• 1 tspshrimp paste (kapi)
• 2dried red chilies, soaked and seeded (optional)
• 400 mlthick coconut cream
• 2 tbspfish sauce
• 2 tbsppalm sugar, grated
• 2eggs, beaten
• 1 tbsprice flour
• 100 gnoni leaves or morning glory or baby spinach
• 4 squaresbanana leaves, softened over flame (or ramekins)
• 2red chilies, finely sliced for garnish
• 2kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded for garnish

Instructions

1. 1

   Make kroeung

   Pound lemongrass, garlic, shallots, galangal, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves, shrimp paste, and chilies in a mortar (or pulse in a food processor) into a fine, fragrant green paste. This takes 8–10 minutes by hand.

   Real kroeung is pounded, not blended — but a powerful processor with a tbsp of water gets you close.

2. 2

   Cook paste

   Heat 3 tbsp coconut cream in a pan over medium. When the oil separates and shimmers, add kroeung. Fry 4 minutes until deeply aromatic and the color darkens.

3. 3

   Build base

   Add remaining coconut cream, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Simmer 3 minutes. Taste — it should be salty-sweet-perfumed. Cool to lukewarm.

4. 4

   Combine

   Whisk eggs and rice flour into the cooled mixture. Fold in fish cubes gently — they should be fully coated but not broken up.

5. 5

   Prepare cups

   Form banana leaf squares into cups by overlapping two perpendicular leaves and pinning the corners with toothpicks. (Or use small ceramic ramekins.)

6. 6

   Layer and fill

   Place a few noni leaves or spinach in the bottom of each cup. Spoon fish mixture on top to fill three-quarters.

7. 7

   Steam

   Steam cups over simmering water for 22–25 minutes until set — the surface should be firm but yield slightly when pressed.

   Don't oversteam — past 25 minutes the custard goes rubbery.

8. 8

   Garnish and serve

   Drizzle each amok with a spoon of fresh coconut cream. Top with sliced red chili and shredded kaffir lime leaves. Serve with jasmine rice.

Variations

• •

  Amok sat (chicken amok): use boneless chicken thigh cubed; cook 5 extra minutes.

• •

  Vegetarian amok: tofu and mushroom; use soy sauce in place of fish sauce, mushroom paste in place of shrimp paste.

• •

  Open-pan amok: omit eggs and rice flour; serve as a thicker coconut-fish stew over rice.

Storage

Best eaten fresh. Refrigerate up to 2 days; reheat by steaming again for 6 minutes — never microwave (the custard separates).

Frequently Asked Questions