Ikan Masak Assam

This fish dish is classic peranakan, yet it is surprisingly low fat, tasty and demands little effort in the making.

"Picture provided by SPH"

Not only that, it is versatile as you can serve it as part of a meal, as an hors d’oeuvres or as a first course to the meal.

In other words, it can be dressed up or down.

Despite being peranakan, it is unbelievably simple to turn out as the fish is merely poached in a spicy tamarind broth. Indeed ikan masak assam belongs to that category of Peranakan sour gravies.

Curiously enough, while it can be served gravied, it can also be eaten as a dip with the fish flaked first, and this is also traditional.

The practice comes from the Malay habit of serving food, often fish, with raw vegetables. Called ulam, the vegetables can be cucumber, cabbage, long beans, four-cornered beans and the like.

The Peranakans also like to add an unusual item, from the Chinese this time, of yu tiao to the selection.

Although the fried dough stick does up the fat quotient of the dish somewhat, it is delicious with the flaked fish, especially topped with sambal chilli, if you have some around.

I then take a bite of cucumber to cleanse my palate in between mouthfuls, assuaging my guilt at adding this deep-fried item to what is essentially an innocent fish dish!

Ingredients:

Ikan Masak Assam (Tamarind fish dip) (For 8 - 10)

• 2 Tbs. tamarind paste
• 4 cups of water
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 Tbs. galangal powder
• 1 tsp. chilli powder, optional
• 1 Tbs. belacan or shrimp paste
• 600 g batang steaks (or any meaty fish)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 green chillies, optional
• 1 cucumber
• 4 readymade yu tiao (Chinese dough sticks), available from the markets or in the freezer section of the supermarket

Method:

1. Make tamarind water by mixing tamarind paste with the water and straining it to remove pulp and seeds.
2. Place tamarind water in a pot and bring to the boil. Add belacan, galangal and turmeric powders and if using, chilli powder, as well. Cook for 10 minutes or so until the powders are thoroughly dissolved.
3. Rub salt into the fish and add to the pot. When the gravy comes to the boil again, turn off the fire and season to taste with more salt, if desired.
4. You can serve it as a soup garnished with torn shreds of a fresh turmeric leaf. To serve it as a dip, remove the fish, cool and flake the flesh. Add enough gravy to obtain a dipping consistency.
5. Remove core from the cucumber and cut into finger-lengths. Toast the yu tiao sticks (fried Chinese doughsticks) in a low 100C oven till crisp. It takes about 10 minutes. Remove and using scissors, cut into short lengths.
6. Serve the fish dip garnished with snapped green chillies and surrounded by cucumber sticks and toasted yu tiao.