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Tamarind Fish Curry (Gulai Tumis) - Hot and sour curry which is traditionally famous among the Nyonya and Hainanese households in Malaysia.
Reading through this post and looking at the pictures of this mouthwatering gulai tumis or tamarind fish curry was especially torturing and painful as I haven’t had this for a while.
First of all, fresh fish, especially stingray is hard to come by, even here is California . (The closest fish I could get here is skate wings but it was foul-smell the last time I bought it).
Secondly, I can never find bunga kantan or ginger flower here, another key ingredient in this recipe. I can only drool over this scrumptious dish as my contributor Siew Loon shares her precious family recipe of gulai tumis with us. Enjoy!
Contributor: Ho Siew Loon
I always remember that when we were in our teenage years my mum used to cooked gulai tumis, or spicy tamarind fish curry, my siblings and I would just feast on it using our hands.
We would pour the sourish hot curry/gravy onto our rice and everything would be gone in minutes. Until today, this particular dish is still a hit among my family members and it brings back sweet memories.
It is an honour to be able to share this family recipe with all my Nyonya Food friends…(get gulai tumis recipe after the jump)
Gulai Tumis is a hot and sour curry which is traditionally famous among the Nyonya and Hainanese households in Malaysia.
I realise that the difference is that the Hainanese Gulai Tumis is more concentrated. This is a specialty where tamarind juice is used in the gravy to give the sour taste and further enhanced by sliced ginger flower or bunga kantan.
The curry is so appetizing and addictive especially the gravy and it simply keeps you coming back for more.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 415 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Tamarind Fish Curry
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Gulai Tumis (Tamarind Fish Curry)
Ingredients
Spice paste (Ground):
- 160 g shallots
- 6 g (⅕ oz) candlenuts
- 12 g (⅖ oz) galangal, lengkuas
- 6 g (⅕ oz) peeled garlic
- 3 stalks lemongrass, sliced
- 8 g (⅓ oz) fresh tumeric or 2 tsp tumeric powder
- 90 g (3 oz) dried chillies , 20-25 (soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained)
- 16 g (⅔ oz) Asian shrimp paste, belacan
- 1/2 cup oil
- 3 tablespoons tamarind pulp
- 2 1/2 cups water
- salt to taste
- sugar to taste, optional
- 1 bud ginger flower, finely chopped
- 800 g (28 oz) stingray, sliced
- 8-10 ladies fingers, steamed
Instructions
- Heat oil over low heat and sauté the ground spice paste until the oil separates from the paste and it becomes fragrant (about 15 minutes).
- Mix the tamarind pulp with water and strain to extract the tamarind juice. Add the juice to the spice paste and bring to a boil over low heat. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the ginger flower and fish. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.
- Serve with lady's fingers.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
May I know how many servings (no. of people) does this recipe serve?
2 – 3 people.
I made this today with tilapia, the fish I have on hand and it worked well. Tilapia is so tasteless, the spices in the gravy were
allowed to dominate. Nice lunch.
Where can i get stingray?
You can make it with another fish, if you can’t find stingray.
I would like to try this recipe, but what does the author mean by spice paste?
what sort of spice paste do we get?