This week has been a week of unexpected events. The weather was gloomy and it was pouring buckets. Well, I suppose I shouldn’t be complaining considering it’s definitely milder than what I was expecting. And I would expect myself to have gotten used to the rain here but I suppose, I think too highly of myself. Then there was a totally unexpected marriage proposal (not mine of course! I’m happily taken) and a lot of drama almost akin to the soap operas. The only thing that was expected, was the migraine that came with swift force to possess what is mine and render me totally useless. I was spending so much time shrouded in darkness that I began to think that I was Count Dracula’s mistress or maybe a forgotten cast of the Twilight series. With so much to deal with, there was very little of me to spare in the kitchen. This was a saviour. Doesn’t take too much time to prepare and the family loved it. Maybe life should be more like this dish - simple and sweet; unpretentious and uncomplicated; expect little from it but gain much.

Ingredients:

3 large swai fish fillet - cut into thick slices
1 can coconut milk
1 stalk lemon grass - bruised
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 inch fresh tumeric
1 green chili
1/2 cup water
1/2 tbsp tamarind + 3tbsp water - extract the juice
salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash fish slices, cut and leave it aside.
2. Blend the fresh tumeric with the chili with a little water.
3. In a pot, combine water and blended ingredients, lime leaves and bruised lemon grass. Bring to a boil.
4. When boiling, lower the heat and add the coconut milk, tamarind juice and salt.
5. When it starts to bubble, add the fish slices and leave it to cook on low heat.
6. Flip the fish over half way through cooking. When the fish is cooked, remove from heat.
7. Serve hot with white rice.

Tips:

1. Fresh tumeric, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves can be found at the Asian market/grocery store. Frech tumeric and lime leaves can be very expensive and are not always sold in small portions. To make them last longer, freeze unused portions. They keep for months this way.
2. There’s no need for onions in this recipe. Some people believe that it dilutes the taste of the fresh tumeric.