Asam Pedas Fish

4.56 from 25 votes
Recipe IndexJump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read myย privacy policy.

Assam Pedas Fish - Classic Malaysian dish that's sour, fiery hot, and tastes extraordinarily satisfying.

Assam Pedas, or literally “sour spicy,” is a classic Malaysian dish. Everyone has their own interpretation for this favorite dish and there are endless adaptations; suffice it to say, it’s sour, fiery hot, and tastes extraordinarily satisfying.

Fish with asam pedas.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Fish with asam pedas.
spicy sour sauce on top the fish prepare to serve.

When I made my sambal for nasi lemak last weekend, I made a point to prepare some extra spice paste for this Assam Pedas dish. While traditional Assam Pedas calls for ikan tenggiri (Spanish mackerel) or ikan pari (stingray), I used pomfret instead. (In the United States, even in California, it’s almost impossible to find fish commonly found in Malaysia.) I love pomfret and it’s a good substitute for Assam Pedas.

Much like nasi lemak, if you haven’t tried Assam Pedas, it’s very hard to describe just how wonderful this is. I hope my pictures and recipe do it justice.


Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories per serving?

This recipe is only 211 calories per serving.

Fish with spicy asian sause.

What To Serve With Asam Pedas Fish

For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for new updates.


Other Recipes You Might Like

Freshly baked cod fillet with seasonings crust on a plate, garnished with lemon slices and herbs.
5 Secrets to 20-Minute Dinners
FREE EMAIL BONUS: How would it feel to have dinner DONE in 20 minutes? I’ll show you how!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
4.56 from 25 votes

Asam Pedas Fish

Assam Pedas, or literally “sour spicy,” is a classic Malaysian dish. Everyone has their own interpretation for this favorite dish and there are endless adaptations; suffice it to say, it’s sour, fiery hot, and tastes extraordinarily satisfying.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Ingredients  

  • 1 pomfret, 1/2 pound to 1 pound (200 g-400 g)
  • 10 small okras
  • 1 tomato, cut into wedges
  • 1 teaspoon fish curry powder
  • 2 sprigs of daun kesum, Vietnamese mint/Vietnamese coriander
  • 5 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1 tablespoon palm sugar/sugar
  • Salt , to taste

Spice Paste:

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 stalk of lemongrass, white part only
  • 4 shallots
  • 8-10 dried chillies, depends how spicy you like
  • 1/2 tablespoon belacan, prawn paste

Tamarind Juice:

  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • Tamarind pulp, size of a small ping pong ball

Instructions 

  • Pound the spice paste with a mortar and pestle or grind it in a food processor. Set aside.
  • Soak the tamarind pulp in warm water for 15 minutes, squeezing constantly to extract the flavor. Drain the pulp and save the tamarind juice.
  • Heat oil and fry the spice paste for 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the tamarind juice and fish curry powder, and bring to a boil. Add the tomato wedges, okras, and daun kesom, and bring to a boil again. Add the fish, salt, and palm sugar or regular sugar.
  • Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes, or until the fish is cooked. Serve hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 4people, Calories: 211kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 21mg, Sodium: 84mg, Potassium: 275mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 742IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Bee Yinn Low

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





41 Comments

  1. Leah says:

    Jeez, I always thought the fish has to be steamed! I shall try this recipe soon.

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      No you don’t have to.

  2. Karen Ho-Chan says:

    5 stars
    I cooked this dish today and it was so so good! Another serving of rice would be nice. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      My pleasure! Very glad you liked the recipe. Thank you for your support.

  3. Monica wee says:

    No buah keras added?

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      NO need.

  4. Lany Susanto says:

    4 stars
    Very good!

  5. Melissa Mathews says:

    Hi I managed to make this but when I asked my mum to taste she said it was missing bunga kantan. I used tamarind paste about 2 thumbs. It came out beautifully.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes you need bunga kantan if you could get. I can’t get it where I am.

  6. Cyn says:

    Hi
    Please advise on which type of belacan, prawn paste are you using?
    Thank you so much.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Malaysian belacan. Any brand is fine.

      1. Latha says:

        Hi
        can I skip the belacan paste?

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          No.

  7. Lynn says:

    Hi. That looks delicious. Our regular customers who has been buying fish from us http://www.gogopasar.com definitely would love to have this recipe too. Awesome!

  8. Siew Wei Cher says:

    What can I use as substitute to tamarind? I can’t get tamarind from where I am.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Lemon juice.

  9. Scintilla says:

    Hai may I ask. Beside then the pomfret fish and sting Ray or ikan pari. What other fish that I put in to taste good in the assam pedas

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      I only like those two. Other fish are hardly used for Assam Pedas.

    2. Jo says:

      I would use ikan patin aka basa fish

      1. Cyn says:

        Hi
        Please advise on which type of belacan, prawn paste are you using?
        Thank you so much.

        1. Hz says:

          Nice recipe Bee. Made it this evening great flavour. Btw I cooked a snapper head. Thanks!

    3. Ivanic says:

      Ikan merah, or red snapper the best in da world

    4. baby says:

      Usually people use Seabass also good and Red Snapper because it is much more sweeter taste of the fish. U can also use Catfish. Will lift up the flavour. Can try if u like

  10. BC lee says:

    Could I use Tamarind paste instead of meaning the water? If so, to approximately what ratio?
    Thanks!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes you can. I don’t know as I didn’t use the paste.