The mention of Nyonya food, spicy, mouth-watering dishes comes to mind. One tend to think about all the spices and chillies that requires tedious and hours of preparation when it comes to homecooked Nyonya dishes. Well, we do have simple dishes that do not require hours of preparation, and this is one of them. Ikan Goreng Asam (Fried Fish with Tamarind Paste) is an all-time favourite. My beloved late mom used to cook this with the head and skin of mackerel fish, it truly is delicious. She will use the meat of a whole mackerel to make into fish-ball paste, which are then used to cook a pot of Nyonya Fish-Ball Soup with Cabbages and Glass Bean Threads, (I'm drooling just thinking about it!), and the head and skin of the fish are marinated with tamarind paste and salt, fried with a little oil and thus became another dish, that my siblings and myself truly love! Since the skin is really very little actually, we would share among ourselves and usually the youngest gets more!
You may have heard or even cooked the more famous version that is, Tamarind Prawns, which can be found in most Nyonya Cookbooks. Try it with fish, especially when you can get really fresh mackerel, though other fish can be used, but my mother had always used mackerel (ikan tenggiri) for this dish. Even my kids love this Nyonya fried fish. Tip when frying, do not fry over high heat as the tamarind will burnt and turn black rather easily. When frying the fish, make sure the heat is medium-low and fry just until the fish is cooked and still moist. This way, you would enjoy the taste of the tamarind and the moist sweetness of the fish. You would not want a crispy and dry fish, with burnt tamarind.
This is the tamarind paste that I used. Sometimes I used the tamarind with seeds. In those days, we do not have seedless tamarind paste like this, my mom used the tamarind with seeds, which are then added with just a little water and mix with the fingers to extract out the tamarind pulp from the seeds for a thick paste or more water for a diluted and thinner tamarind paste.
Sometimes, we would eat this fish with some sambal belacan as a condiment, but the kids love it as it is, eaten with rice. And if you do not mind this, drizzle some of the oil retained from frying the fish, over the hot fluffy rice, and eat with a piece of the fish, truly delicious. This is really a simple and very easy dish. I hope that you would give it a try, as I am sure that your kids would love this!
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I'm submitting this post to Malaysian Food Fest, Melaka (August) hosted by Yummylittlecooks and organized by Wendy of Table For 2.....Or More.
I'm sharing this too with :
2 pieces mackerel (red snapper, threadfin or other fish)
1/2 tsp tamarind paste, or to taste (1 tsp if used tamarind with seeds)
salt to taste
oil for frying
- Rub tamarind paste all over fish, with some salt to taste. (If using tamarind seeds, add about half to one teaspoon of water and use fingers to rub the seeds and extract out the pulp). Keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
- Heat oil in wok or non-stick saucepan. Over medium-low heat, fry fish on both sides until cooked, about 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish, but not crispy. Fish should be moist inside.
- Dish out to a serving plate and drizzle some of the oil from the wok over the fish. Serve hot. Enjoy!
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