Spicy Tamarind Fish Wings

Added by: Norah Added on: May 10, 2019

Norah's Cooking Diary

Spicy Tamarind Fish Wings

## Season 2, Episode 4 ##

Hello everyone. Welcome to Norah’s Cooking Diary.

This is the 4th Video of Season 2. Season 2 will again feature a total of 12 episodes but this time we will have a mixture of both Western and Asian recipes. If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up by pressing the like button. Please also share this recipe with your family and friends. Don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already so that you will be the first to know when a new video is posted.

In this video I am going to share with you a Spicy Tamarind Fish Wings Recipe.

This dish is extremely popular in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore and is commonly known as “Asam Pedas”. “Asam” means sour in English and “Pedas” means spicy. The tamarind is the ingredient that gives the sour taste in this recipe. The main ingredients for the recipe are usually seafood or fish. In this video I will be using fish wings.

Fish Wings in a spicy and tangy sauce is appetizing and wonderfully delicious. It might look hot and spicy from its red color due to the addition of chilies, but the sourness of the tamarind juice will give the balance that will surprise your tongue. This spicy tamarind fish recipe will surely give you a satisfying meal that you are looking for.

Happy cooking 😉

Several notes here to share with you:

I used fish wings as the main ingredient in this recipe. You could use any parts of the fish that you prefer. You could also use other seafood such as prawns if you so desire.
I used 100g of tamarind paste. You could use more if you prefer the sauce to have a tangier flavor. Try not to add too much however as this will be too over-powering.
I used 3 tablespoon of dried chili paste in this recipe. If you prefer the dish to be spicier, add another 1 or 2 tablespoons more. Try not to add too much chili as the overly spicy flavor will overshadow the delicious taste of the rest of the ingredients.
I used frozen torch ginger flower as this is not available fresh from our local market. You should use fresh torch ginger flower if this is available.
The spices are required to be cook until slightly dry in order to have a good flavor on the sauce. Enough cooking oil must also be used to fry the spices. I used 1 cup of oil. It may sound like this is a lot but for the amount of spices and ingredients we do need this much.
Tomatoes and okras should be added towards the end of the cooking to avoid from being overcooked. Overcooked tomatoes will breakdown and make the okras soft and mushy.
The ingredients for the spicy tamarind sauce might seem like a lot but don’t let this stop you from trying out this delicious dish. Each ingredient plays an important part in making the dish tasty the way it is.

Here is a quick rundown of the recipe:

Ingredients for Spicy Tamarind Fish Wings

4 Pairs Fish Wings (medium size)
3 Tomatoes, quarters
8 Okras, remove head
1 Stalk Lemongrass, split into halve (optional but highly recommended)
3 Sprig Vietnamese Coriander (optional but highly recommended)

Ingredients for Spicy Tamarind Sauce

100 Gm Tamarind Paste
3 Tbsp Dried Chili Paste
1 Cup Cooking Oil
15 Gm Shrimp Paste
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Cups Water

Ingredients to be blended into fine paste:

2 Stalks Torch Ginger Flower
2 Stalks Lemongrass, white parts only
50 Gm Galangal
50 Gm Ginger, peeled
20 Gm Turmeric
1 Cup Vietnamese Coriander
3 Bulbs Shallots
1 Bulb Brown Onions
5 Cloves Garlic

Method of Preparation

To prepare the tamarind juice/extract, mix the tamarind paste with 2 cups of water and stir to be dissolved properly. Strain with a strainer and discard the seed and pulp; set the tamarind juice aside. Fry the blended ingredients and dried chili paste in 1 cup of cooking oil over medium heat in a frying pan. Stir fry well for 20 minutes or until the spices look slightly dry. Pour in the tamarind juice and stir until the oil starts to float on the surface. Reduce heat to LOW.
Add extra lemongrass and fish wings to the spicy tamarind sauce. Bring the sauce back to boil on MEDIUM heat. Cover pan with lid and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir the sauce to avoid from burning bottom.
Add tomatoes, extra Vietnamese Coriander, salt and brown sugar. Stir carefully to mix Well. Add okras and cover pan with lid. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the okras are just cooked.
Removed the cooked fish wings from the pan and arrange on a plate. Served hot with steam rice.

Happy cooking 😉🧡