Stingray with assam sauce is one of those traditional Malaysian dishes that is beloved by many. Often referred to as “assam pedas”, it literally means sour and spicy. Now, with a name like that, this dish is sure to pack a punch.
While the list of ingredients that go into making this recipe seems a bit daunting, don’t worry. Putting it all together is fairly simple. The end result is delicious. Pair it with white rice for a truly satisfying meal.
Ingredients:
Serving 6-8 person
- 1kg stingray fish
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 400g shallots
- 80g garlic
- 50g ginger
- 30g shrimp paste
- 50g fresh turmeric
- 100g dried chillies
- 4 sticks okra
- 120g eggplant
- 120g tomato cut into wedges
- 100ml oil
- 5 Kaffir lime leaves
- 1 leaf Vietnamese coriander
- 1 leaf turmeric
- 150g tamarind (dissolve with 300g of water and strain it)
- 60g sugar
- Salt to taste
Method:
- Clean and cut the stingray into 2 inch wide pieces.
- In a blender, blend the fresh turmeric.
- Marinate the stingray with the blended turmeric and set aside for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Separately, blend the lemongrass, shallots, garlic, ginger and shrimp paste to a semi fine texture.
- Cut the dried chillies into 1 inch long pieces, and boil in water for 20 minutes.
- Strain the boiled chillies and blend them with 200ml water in a blender.
- In a pot, heat the oil and sauté the blended ingredients till fragrant. Add in blended chilli and sugar to caramelise the chilli paste.
- Cook the sauce on low heat until it is fragrant and separates from the oil.
- Add in Kaffir lime leaf, turmeric leaf, Vietnamese coriander, tamarind juice & 500 ml of water.
- Cook the mixture on high heat till a rolling boil and add in the fish.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add in okra, eggplant and tomato wedges.
- Season with salt to desired taste.
- Enjoy!
