Moms’ Golden Pomfret with Spicy Sambal Paste

In the past, my mom used to cook a wide variety of 

curry seafood dishes which I must admit that she was a 

fantastic chef of the household.

With a Baba Nyonya background, she has the talent of 

cooking Nyonya spicy recipes and local sambal recipes

 that she had learned from her mom and sometimes she

 concoct the recipes herself.

Since my mom who had stroke many years ago, she 

couldn’t remember at all any of the Nyonya recipes 

anymore.

However, it was fortunate that I had found her old 

scrapbook where she pasted recipes featured in old 

newspapers and magazines.

Honestly, I do missed my mom’s Nyonya and curries 

very much, especially her 

Pomfret with Spicy Sambal Paste

How to choose fresh fish

Very often, you can watch how the aunties and old grandmothers selecting the ideal fishes in the wet market or supermarket.

Sometimes, you can ask the fish mongers for advices or simply put your trust in them since they are knowledgeable and experienced in their own trade.

Here are some useful tips that my mom had taught me how to choose fresh fishes during my teens:

1. The eyes of the fish should be clear, bright and shiny. Avoid reddish , bloodshot eyes, sunken and cloudy white eyes.
2. Lift up and look at the gills. It should be fresh bright red in color. Avoid muddy gills, magenta or dark red and sunken gills. Most fish gills are intact, 4 pieces .
3. The skin or flesh of the fish should be shiny, scaly, clean, no scratches or cuts where the inner flesh is visible.
4. The belly of the fish should be taut, uprising and bouncy. Avoid sunken or intestines lurking out. Sunken belly might indicate lots of poop inside, less flesh.
5. Use your nostril to smell the fish, if the fishmonger allows you to do so. It should smell like fresh from the sea. Avoid foul odor stench, pungent fishy smell indicates that the fish had been stored in the freezer for days, not fresh from the sea.

How to prepare Sambal Paste

Sambal paste is the traditional spicy paste made from chillies, spices, onions and garlic, most important ingredient is the shrimp paste ( known as belacan ) .

All the ingredients are blend together in a food processor to a fine paste.

However in the past, my mom used to pound them with a mortar and pestle, she made me to pound the red chillies that often shot into my eyes!

Sambal paste gives an aromatic and pungent tinge smell but after you had stir fry it briefly, it gives an aromatic smell that even the flies are keen to drop by into your kitchen!

If you have ample time , you can blend your own sambal paste with this recipe:

• 4 fresh red chillies- remove seeds
• 3 cloves garlic
• 6 shallots or 2 medium onions
• 1 inch fresh turmeric or 1 tbsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 piece of toasted shrimp paste ( belacan)
• Grind or blend them together.
• then, pour in 2 tbsp of tamarind juice ( mix 1 tbsp of pulp tamarind with 2 tbsp of water)
• Do not add in SUGAR
• Do not add in SALT

How to cook Golden Pomfret with Spicy Sambal Paste

Ingredients

• 1 pc Golden Pomfret or any Pomfret fish
• some cornflour
• Sambal Paste ( as above recipe given )
• 1 stalk lemon grass- cut into sections
• 2-3 stalk curry leaves
• 3 shallots- sliced
• 2 cloves garlic-chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking steps

1. clean the pomfret fish. Give a few cuts on the body to allow the flesh to cook faster
2. Pat a little salt over the fish, both sides.
3. Coat with corn flour on both sides.
4. Heat up wok with sufficient oil.
5. When the oil is heated up, slip in the coated pomfret into the wok.
6. Deep fry until both sides of the fish is golden brown and crispy.
7. Remove and leave aside.
8. Remove all the oil, just leave 2 tbsp of oil in the wok.
9. Saute the onion and garlic until fragrant.
10. Add in the lemon grass and curry leaves.
11. Pour in the sambal paste.
12. Stir fry under very low heat, don’t burn it.
13. Pour in 2-3 tbsp of water, add in a little salt,pepper and sugar to taste.
14. Dish up and pour the sambal paste over the cooked Golden Pomfret.
15. Serve hot with white rice

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