Fried Fish with Spicy Coconut Milk Recipe

(Ikan Bumbu Santan)

Ingredients : Serves 4-6

2 X 500g

2

2 cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons

3 or 4

2 tablespoons

1 teaspoon

1 cup

1

Mullet, mackerel or other oily fish

Medium onions, finely chopped

Garlic, crushed

Finely grated fresh ginger

Red chilies, ground

Bean sauce

Palm sugar or substitute

Coconut milk

Fresh red chili to garnish

Oil for frying

Few sprigs fresh sweet basil

• Ask the fishmonger to clean the fish and remove head, then split each fish along backbone and open out flat, without dividing it into two. Remove the backbone.
• At home, use a kitchen scissors to trim off fins and spines.
• Lift out the long bones that form the rib cage of the fish.
• Wash fish, cleaning away any black membrane with a kitchen paper dipped in coarse salt.
• Dry fish thoroughly on paper towel.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan and fry onions, garlic, ginger and chilies over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onions are soft and translucent.
• As they start to brown, add the yellow beans.
• Stir for 2 minutes.
• Add sugar and coconut milk and keep stirring while mixture simmers until thickened.
• Keep warm while frying fish.
• Heat enough oil in a large frying pan to cover the base of pan to 12 mm depth and when oil is hot fry fish skin side down until brown, then turn and fry until the other side is brown.
• Drain on absorbent paper.
• Fry other fish in the same way.
• Arrange both fish, skin side down, in serving dish.
• Pour sauce over, garnish with seeded and sliced red chili and roughly chopped basil leaves.
• Serve at once with rice.