Carroll du Chateau travelled to Siem Reap, where she attended a cooking class to get a real taste of Cambodia.
500g deboned mudfish (or use any firm white fish: hapuka, ling, orange roughy)
1 de-seeded, thinly-sliced dried chilli or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes to taste, 1/2 tsp turmeric
Pinch saffron, one 5cm piece of galangal (use fresh ginger), 6 fine-sliced lime leaves, zest of half a lime, 4 stalks lemongrass
3 large cloves garlic
2 shallots, thinly sliced
150g smoked fish
2 red peppers
1/2 cup coconut cream
1 Tbs fish sauce
1 Tbs shrimp paste
1 cup coconut milk
1 beaten duck egg (chicken will do)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs palm sugar
Blanched banana or cabbage leaves
Method
1 Cut fish into small slices. Pound the spices, leaves, garlic, shallots and smoked fish in pestle and mortar or process until smooth.
2 Thin-slice the peppers.
3 Cook the coconut cream in a large pan or wok until it starts to brown and thicken. Add the mashed spice mixture and fry until fragrant. Add the fish and shrimp sauces, then the fish, and stir in with the spices.
4 Add the coconut milk, egg, salt, sugar and cook until the fish is just cooked through, 3-5 minutes.
5 To serve: Lie the fish pieces on the blanched banana or wilted cabbage leaves, pour over the coconut curry sauce and top with sliced red pepper. Serve with boiled rice and a beer.
