Name: Roast bream with sambal and coconut rice
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 plate-sized seabream (about 500gm each), cleaned; Juice of 2 limes; 2 tbsp fish sauce; To serve: thinly sliced spring onion, fried shallot and lime wedges; Coconut rice; 400 ml coconut milk; 200 ml fresh young coconut juice (see note); 1 tsp each cumin and coriander seeds, finely ground in a mortar and pestle; ½ tsp shrimp paste, roasted (see note); 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, finely chopped; 400 gm jasmine rice, rinsed; Sambal bajak; 6 long red chillies, coarsely chopped; 1 onion, finely chopped; 4 garlic cloves; 60 ml peanut oil (¼ cup); 80 ml tamarind juice (1/3 cup); 8 macadamia nuts, finely chopped; 1 tbsp shrimp paste, roasted (see note); 2 tbsp palm sugar, grated; To season: fish sauce

Ingredients

4 plate-sized seabream (about 500gm each), cleaned

Juice of 2 limes

2 tbsp fish sauce

To serve: thinly sliced spring onion, fried shallot and lime wedges

Coconut rice

400 ml coconut milk

200 ml fresh young coconut juice (see note)

1 tsp each cumin and coriander seeds, finely ground in a mortar and pestle

½ tsp shrimp paste, roasted (see note)

1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, finely chopped

400 gm jasmine rice, rinsed

Sambal bajak

6 long red chillies, coarsely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves

60 ml peanut oil (¼ cup)

80 ml tamarind juice (1/3 cup)

8 macadamia nuts, finely chopped

1 tbsp shrimp paste, roasted (see note)

2 tbsp palm sugar, grated

To season: fish sauce

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 250C. For coconut rice, bring ingredients (except rice) and 1 tsp salt to the simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice and stir until it returns to the simmer. Cover, reduce heat to very low and cook until rice is tender (15-20 minutes). Remove from heat and stand for 5 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, place fish on baking paper, drizzle with lime juice and fish sauce, wrap in baking paper and then wrap in foil, enclosing completely. Roast until cooked through (15-20 minutes).

3.Meanwhile, for sambal bajak, process chilli, onion and garlic in a small food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a frying pan with oil and stir continuously over medium heat until fragrant (4-5 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and stir occasionally until mixture deepens in colour (5-10 minutes). Serve with fish and rice, scattered with spring onion, fried shallot and lime wedges.

Young coconuts are available from Thai grocers and some supermarkets. To roast shrimp paste, wrap in foil and roast at 200C until fragrant (5-10 minutes).
This recipe is from the November 2010 issue of
.
Notes

Styling by Lisa Featherby