Asam Pedas Ikan Merah (Spicy Sour Red Fish)

Steps

▶ Tap a timecode to jump to roughly that moment in the video.

1. 1
   Prepare the ground spice ingredients: coarsely chop garlic, shallots and onion; slice ginger and roughly chop fresh turmeric. Toast the shrimp paste until fragrant, then combine with black peppercorns. Soak dried chilies in water until soft, remove seeds, then grind with the peppercorns and toasted shrimp paste. Roughly chop candlenuts with the other ingredients and blend everything together with a little water until completely smooth.
   ▶ ≈1:28
2. 2
   Clean the red snapper fish thoroughly, splitting the head in half. Soak the fish in tamarind water for about 10 minutes to remove the fishy smell.
   ▶ ≈2:48
3. 3
   Prepare the aromatic ingredients: halve the torch ginger flower lengthwise. Select kesum leaves with tender stems. Lightly bruise the lemongrass to release essential oils. Trim okra at both ends and halve if very long. Halve the tomatoes.
   ▶ ≈3:22
4. 4
   Heat a generous amount of oil in a pan — this is essential for delicious asam pedas. Stir-fry the lemongrass until fragrant, allowing the oil to absorb its flavour.
   ▶ ≈4:26
5. 5
   Add the blended ground spices and stir-fry continuously until the spices are fully cooked and fragrant, breaking the oil. Add a little chili powder for a bright red colour. Keep frying until the oil separates and the spice mixture becomes crispy — this crucial step ensures a rich, flavourful gravy with good depth.
   ▶ ≈4:46
6. 6
   Pour in 3 to 4 cups of water. Add tamarind juice gradually, starting with a small amount so you can adjust the sourness later according to your taste, as different tamarind batches vary in acidity. Add the torch ginger flower.
   ▶ ≈5:29
7. 7
   Gently bruise the kesum leaves over about 10 minutes to release their aroma, then add them to the broth. Season with salt and seasoning powder to taste. Allow the gravy to come to a boil.
   ▶ ≈6:13
8. 8
   Only add the fish to the boiling broth — this prevents it from falling apart and keeps it intact. Reduce to medium heat and simmer gently and slowly for even cooking. Finally, add the okra and tomatoes, stirring gently, until the vegetables are tender but the fish remains intact. When the fish flesh turns from translucent to white, it is fully cooked.
   ▶ ≈6:40
9. 9
   Turn off the heat. The asam pedas is best enjoyed with salted eggs and hot steamed rice. The broth should be glossy and red with oil floating on top, indicating perfect execution.
   ▶ ≈7:27