Fish Amok (Steamed Fish Curry)
Cambodia's national dish: white fish folded into a fragrant kroeung of lemongrass and turmeric with coconut cream and egg, then steamed in banana-leaf cups. The egg sets it into something closer to a savory custard than a curry.
Ingredients
- White fish fillet · cod, catfish or tilapia, 3 cm chunks600 g
- Coconut cream · the thick top of the can250 ml
- Coconut milk150 ml
- Egg · gives it the custard set1
- Palm sugar · or brown sugar1 tbsp
- Salt · to taste
- Kroeung (Khmer curry paste)
- Lemongrass · tender base only, sliced very fine4 stalks
- Galangal or ginger2 cm
- Fresh turmeric · or 1 tsp ground2 cm
- Kaffir lime leaves · center rib removed4
- Garlic4 cloves
- Shallots · or ½ onion3
- Dried red chilies · optional2
- Umami
- Prahok · or 2 tbsp fish sauce1 tsp
- Vessels and garnish
- Banana leaves · or ramekins / small bowls
- Red chili and lime leaf · finely slivered, to garnish
- Jasmine rice · to serve
Steps
- ⏲ 10 min
Make the kroeung: pound the lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, lime leaves, garlic, shallots and chilies in a mortar, or blitz in a blender with a splash of coconut milk. Aim fine enough that no lemongrass fiber remains.
Cut the fish into 3 cm chunks, pat dry and season lightly with salt.
Whisk the kroeung with the coconut cream (hold back 3 tbsp for the top), the remaining coconut milk, prahok (or fish sauce), palm sugar and egg until smooth. The egg is what turns this into a soft custard rather than a curry.
- ⏲ 20 min
Fold in the fish gently so the pieces stay whole and let it marinate 15–20 minutes.
- ⏲ 5 min
Soften the banana leaves by passing them over a flame or dipping in hot water, then fold the corners into square cups and pin with toothpicks. Ramekins work just as well.
- ⏲ 25 min
Divide the mixture between the cups and set them in a steamer over simmering water. Steam over medium-low for 20–25 minutes until just set and the fish is cooked. High heat splits the egg and the custard weeps.
Spoon over a little reserved coconut cream and top with slivered chili and lime leaf. Serve hot with jasmine rice.
Variations
- Chicken amok: Use boneless thigh instead of fish and extend the steam to 30 minutes.
- Vegetarian amok: Firm tofu and shiitake; swap the prahok for 1 tsp miso to keep the savory depth.
- Line the cups with leaves: In Cambodia the cups are lined with noni or slok ngor leaves. Spinach or chard stands in fine.
- No steamer: Pour 1 cm of water into a pan, stand the cups in it, cover and steam the same way.
- Without prahok: Fish sauce or anchovy sauce works; the fermented funk translates well.
Tips
- The kroeung is the whole dish. Under-ground lemongrass leaves fibers in every bite. A mortar is best, but a blender with a splash of coconut milk does the job.
- Distinguish coconut cream from milk. Don't shake the can — use the set cream on top for the custard and the thin milk below to adjust consistency.
- Don't skip the egg. That custard set is exactly what separates amok from any other coconut curry.
- Steam over medium-low. High heat splits the egg and leaves a watery pool. It's done when the surface springs back to a light press.
- Use lean white fish. Oily fish like mackerel fights the coconut.
- Banana leaves live in the freezer section of Asian grocers. Ramekins taste the same — you just lose a little aroma.
- Prahok is pungent; start with 1 tsp your first time.
The basics behind this dish
- Steaming: Water Level, Condensation, and StackingSteam never exceeds 100°C and still cooks faster than boiling water. The reason is latent heat; the commonest failure is the drip off the lid; and stacking does not work the way people think.
- Browning and the Maillard ReactionMeat fails to brown for one of three reasons: it is wet, the pan is cool, or you put too much in at once. Plus how the brown film stuck to the pan becomes your sauce.
- Cooking Meat: Temperature, Resting, and Cutting Against the GrainDoneness is a core temperature, not a number of minutes. What resting actually does, how to handle a thick cut, and why the direction you slice changes the texture.
More of the same kind
More from this country
Cambodian →
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