Quick Cambodian-style Fish Curry

by Melissa Hemsley from Feel Good (Ebury Press)

Photography: Lizzie Mayson

Based on fish amok, one of Cambodia’s national dishes, this is made a using a homemade yellow curry paste or kroeung. It isn’t a spicy curry, but feel free to add as much chilli as you like. Use green beans if asparagus isn’t in season. If you find it tricky to get lemongrass, buy extra when you can and freeze it (which is what I do!); it defrosts quickly. This is great served with a side of quinoa, noodles or griddled wraps.

Feeds 2          

30 minutes

Ingredients

2 tsp coconut oil or ghee

10 cherry tomatoes

400ml tin of coconut milk

250g firm white fish fillets

10 asparagus spears (Nigel substituted with 20 green beans)

2 handfuls of baby spinach

Sea salt and black pepper

Yellow Curry Paste

2 lemongrass stalks, outer leaves discarded and inner part roughly chopped or 2 tsp paste

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 medium onion or 2 shallots, roughly chopped

Juice of ½ lime and grated zest, or 2 Makrut lime leaves

2 tsp grated fresh ginger or 1 tsp finely sliced galangal

½ tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp fish sauce

½ tsp (coconut) sugar or maple syrup

A pinch of chilli flakes

To serve

½ lime, cut into 2 wedges

2 handfuls of fresh herbs (such as coriander, basil or mint), roughly chopped 

Method

Place all the ingredients for the yellow curry paste in a food processor and blitz into a fairly smooth paste. Add a tablespoon or two of water to get it going, if needed, and pulse a few times. Alternatively, pound the solid ingredients together using a pestle and mortar before mixing with the ground and liquid ingredients.

Melt the coconut oil in a medium frying pan, add the curry paste and cook on a medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent it from catching. Add the cherry tomatoes and a pinch of salt, stir to coat in the paste and then fry for another minute.

Stir in the coconut milk, turn up the heat and cook on a medium simmer for 10 minutes to let the sauce reduce slightly and thicken.

Pat the fish dry, cut into 2.5cm cubes, and sprinkle over a little salt and pepper.

Prepare the asparagus by snapping off the woody ends, then roughly chop the asparagus stems so that they cook quickly and are easier to eat.

Add the fish and asparagus to the curry, spacing them out in the sauce, and gently poach for about 5 minutes with a lid on the pan, then scatter the spinach among the fish and asparagus, pop the lid back on and cook for another 3–4 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Take off the heat, pushing the wilted spinach into the sauce, then taste the curry and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Serve straight away with lime wedges and pile high with herbs.

Variation 

For a plant-based version, roast 1 aubergine, cut into chunks, and add instead of the fish. Use a vegan fish sauce in the curry paste.

Drinks tasted on air, alongside the dish:

https://www.badgerbeers.com/our-beers/outland-tropical-pale-ale/ & https://sylvalabs.com/products/sylva-orchard