Curry Fish Head

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4.86 from 7 votes

Curry Fish Head recipe - a mean pot of curry and goes very well with steamed white rice.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Fish

Cuisine: Nyonya Recipes

Keyword: Curry Fish Head

Servings: people

Author: Bee Yinn Low

Ingredients

600 g Garoupa Fish Head chopped into pieces
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
3-4 tablespoons oil
2.5 cups water
1 bunch polyganum leaves laksa leaves
4-6 okras cut into halves diagonally
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste optional

Spice Paste:

1-2 stalks lemongrass white part only, cut into small pieces
1 small turmeric skin peeled, sliced into pieces
20-25 g dried red chili paste
50 g peeled shallots
5 g belacan shrimp paste

Garnishing:

Bunga Kantan Torch Ginger Flower, sliced into small pieces
1 bunch mint leaves optional

Instructions

Prepare the spice paste using a mortar and pestle. First, pound the lemongrass and turmeric together until they form a paste.
Remove the seeds from a large handful of dried red chilies and soak them in warm water for about 10 minutes. Pound the soaked chilies into a fine paste. You will need about 20-25g (1 oz.), depending on your preferred spice level. Store any unused chili paste in the refrigerator.
Pound the shallots and shrimp paste together.
Mix the tamarind pulp and water using your fingers to extract the juice. Discard the pulp and seeds, and save the tamarind juice.
Heat a pot over medium heat and add the oil. Sauté the turmeric and lemongrass, then add the shallots and shrimp paste. Continue to stir-fry until aromatic, then add the chili paste. Stir until the oil separates from the spice paste and turns red.
Add the tamarind juice to the pot, followed by the water. Bring to a boil before adding the polyganum leaves (laksa leaves) and okra. Once the okra is half-cooked, add the fish head. Cover the pot and cook for a few minutes until the fish is done. Add salt and sugar (if using) to taste. Garnish with bunga kanta and mint leaves, and serve immediately.

Notes

Use one lemongrass if it's a big lemongrass and two if the lemongrass is thinner. Fish head might sound intimidating to many of you, but it's definitely one of the best parts of a fish—it's fleshy, tender, and absolutely delicious. Curry Fish Head is a popular dish in Malaysia and Singapore.

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