Pla Sam Rot - Fish with Three Flavors

Fish can be a tricky subject. I admit that I made this recipe with red snapper, which was not only expensive, but at the time I was unaware of how badly overfished red snapper is.

And other snapper varieties will do for this recipe, or better yet Halibut.

Plat Sam Rot - Fish with Three Flavors (based on this recipe)

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 filets fish (snapper or halibut)

sea salt

1 cup oil for frying (peanut, rice bran, or canola)

3 kaffir lime leaves (finely sliced)

Handful of cilantro leaves

thai basil, finely chopped

thai chillies, minced

deep fried shallots (you can buy these in asian grocery stores, or mince up shallots and pan fry them until crunchy)

Sauce:

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 thai chillies, seeded and minced

4 coriander/cilantro roots, chopped

3 tbsp palm sugar

1 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp oil (canola, peanut, or rice bran)

1 tsp tamarind concentrate mixed with 2 tbsp water

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp water

Substitutions:

coriander/cilantro roots - parsley root

palm sugar - brown sugar

kaffir lime - basil soaked in lime juice

fish sauce - worcestershire sauce

Preparation:

In a food processor, finely chop garlic, chillies, cilantro roots, and salt.

Make the sauce:

In a small saucepan, heat 2 tbsp oil, and add palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind concentrate mixed with water and water. Simmer mixture for five minutes and set aside.

Cut three slashes in the filet.

Heat 1 cup oil in a wok until hot enough to pan fry.

Carefully slide the fish into the oil, and cook for a couple minutes each side or until golden brown. (You may need to cook 1 -2 at a time).

Place onto a plate with a paper towel on it to absorb excess oil.

Plate up with sauce, cilantro, minced chillies, and fried shallots.

Beef Rendang

Another one of Indonesia's more famous dishes is beef rendang, a spicy curry-like preparation of beef and coconut. Based on this recipe.

You may need to make some substitutions on this one- don't be afraid to. Tamarind pulp can be replaced by lemon juice mixed with brown sugar, kaffir lime leaves can be replaced with basil, and palm sugar can be replaced by white sugar, or preferably turbinado sugar. Galangal can be omitted if you can't find it. Toasted coconut can be made by dry roasting shredded coconut on a frying pan or wok.

Beef Rendang

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 hours

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb beef, cubed

5 tbsp cooking oil

1 cinnamon stick

3 whole cloves

3 star anise

3 cardamom pods

1 lemon grass, sliced and pounded

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup water

2 tbsp taramind pulp

6 kaffir lime leaves

6 tbsp toasted coconut

1 tbsp palm sugar

Spice Paste:

5 shallots

1 inch galangal
3 lemongrass (white part only)

5 cloves garlic

1 inch ginger

10-12 chilli peppers

Preparation:

Chop the spice paste ingredients and use a food processor to turn them into a paste.

Cooking:

In a medium pot, heat the oil and then add the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, snd cardamom pods, and stir fry until aromatic. Add the beef and lemongrass, and cook for one minute.

Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, and water, and simmer on medium heat until the meat is almost cooked. Then add the kaffir lime leaves, toasted coconut, and palm sugar.

Simmer on low heat 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender and the liquid is mostly gone. Add salt to taste.