Deconstructed Khmer Fish Amok- Green Papaya Salad
Fresh, savory, bitter, with a hint of sweet, this dish will take you on a tuk tuk right to side kitchens of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. -kp (all ingredients can be found down the road at Grand Asia for dirt cheap)

Ingredients

For Fish Amok:
Fish Rub:
1 bulb garlic (diced)
1 large shallot bulb (finely chopped)
1 stalk lemongrass (finely diced)
½ inch piece galangal (peeled and finely chopped)
1 pinch star anise
1 pinch white pepper
1 pinch palm sugar,
1 pinch salt
sambal (chili garlic paste) to taste

Ruffage:
1 spoon coconut oil
½ cap shrimp paste
1 can thick coconut milk (Chef's Choice works well)
3 pinches palm sugar
1 pinch salt
1 pound firm, mild white fish (halibut or mahi mahi) skin/bones removed
1 egg
1 tablespoon fish sauce
4 thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves
handful julienned carrots
handful de-cored chopped cabbage

For Green Papaya Salad:
Dressing:
1/2 handul de-stemmed cilantro
1/2 inch minced peeled fresh galangal
2 bird's eye chilies
2 cloves minced garlic
2 pinches minced shallot
2 spoons palm sugar
2 caps fish sauce
3 limes (halved and gutted)

Ruffage:
4 Chinese long beans, trimmed and chopped
Thai basil (de-stemmed and chopped) to taste, 1.5-2 handfuls should do
Thai mint (de-stemmed and chopped) to taste, 1.5-2 handfuls should do
3 cups julienned peeled green (unripe) papaya
2 cups julienned peeled ripe mango
4-5 halved diced bird's eye chilies
handful crushed roasted peanuts

Instructions

For Salad:
Mortar and pestle all the dressing ingredients (to taste) until smooth, pounding each before adding the next.

Heat pan on high. add and brown the beans well on all sides (about 4 min.) Put in bowl coverd by saran to let steam a bit (10 min. or so)
Toss with ruffage, mix well
Drizzle dressing evenly and stir until evenly coated

Set aside to toss with Fish Amok.


For Fish:
Mortar and pestle curry rub ingredients (to taste) until smooth, pounding each before adding the next.

Thinly slice the fish into bite size pieces and set aside.
Add coconut oil and curry paste to high heat pan cook and for 1ish minutes.
Add the shrimp paste, coconut milk, sugar and salt, whisking to combine.
Add handful julienned carrots and handful de-cored chopped cabbage then cook on medium for about five minutes with lid on
Add the fish by folding into the curry sauce so as not to shred, allow Amok to cook on low for about 5 minutes
In a small bowl, whisk the egg with the fish sauce and 2 big spoons of curry sauce from pot.
Gently fold this blend back into the Amok.

Toss with Green Papaya Salad for bangin' food.
fish · Thai · Healthy · spicy · savory · cambodia · khmer