Thai Grilled Fish With Sweet Sour Tamarind Sauce Pla Pow Food

THAI GRILLED FISH RECIPE (PLA PAO ปลาเผา)

Steps:

• When you buy your whole fish, ask the vendor (or yourself) to do two things: One, try to remove the guts from the gills of the fish, without slicing the fish open on the belly, and two, leave the scales on the fish (if you have the choice).
• Probably the first thing you want to do (if you're using charcoal, which I would recommend), is to get the charcoal going first, so it's ready when the fish is prepared.
• Make sure you rinse your fish with water and then pat them dry with a paper towel.
• Take your lemongrass stalks and beat and bruise them with something hard, like a mortar, or a rolling pin or something like that. This is going to bring out the lovely flavor of the lemongrass. Also prepare a small handful of kaffir lime leaves.
• Fold the lemongrass in half and begin to stuff the fish with a stalk of lemongrass and about 10 kaffir lime leaves. Depending on how big your fish is will determine how many stalks of lemongrass you can fit. I put 2 - 3 lemongrass stalks in each fish in the video. Make sure it's tight, but also make sure not to push so hard that you break the flesh of the fish.
• In a large mixing bowl or pan add ½ kilo bag of salt, sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour, and add about 1 tablespoon of water. Mix it up thoroughly, massaging the mixture with your hand, until it's fully mixed. You want the salt to be a little moist so it sticks to the fish easily.
• Add the fish to the pan and start plastering it with the salt mixture. Pat and rub the fish with the salt, making sure to cover the entire fish, and all over the head and tail. Do the same to both fish.
• For grilling the fish, you want to have a steady, yet quite low heat. Make sure you have a bed of coals, and if they are too hot you can either tone them down with a scoop of ashes, or push the really hot coals to one side of the grill and put the fish on the other side (using a little indirect heat). You can also add more coals as you keep on cooking. You want to slow cook the fish without them burning on the outside. My fish took almost 1 hour to grill. So aim for low heat for slow cooking.
• Once your fish is on the grill, it's time to get started on the seafood sauce (below).
• Try to wait for about 15 minutes before you flip the fish. If you flip it too early, when the salt hasn't dried out completely yet, the fish skin might get stuck onto the griddle. Flip the fish as little as possible.
• Keep roasting until the fish feels firm and the white salted skin has turned crusty and golden. It should take about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Take the fish off the grill, and set it on a platter.
• To eat the fish, you can either use a knife or scissors, and from the top of the fish, cut through the skin. The skin should cleanly lift off the fish revealing moist and beautiful meat.
• Thai grille fish (pla pao) is delicious with both sticky rice and white rice, and lots of seafood sauce!
• Peel about 15 cloves of garlic and grab about 20 Thai bird chilies (prik kee noo suan พริกขี้หนูสวน). Normal Thai chilies will work too. Pound ½ teaspoon of salt, the garlic, and chilies using a mortar and pestle. Doesn't need to be super fine, but make sure there are no big chunks.
• In a bowl, add the pounded garlic and chilies, 6 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lime juice, 3 tablespoons of water, 2.5 tablespoons of fish sauce, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Mix everything together until the sugar is dissolved.
• Taste the seafood sauce. Really, it's up to you how it tastes, but you want it to be slightly salty, sour, and slightly sweet.
• If you need to add a little more of anything, go for it!

CRISPY WHOLE THAI FRIED FISH WITH GINGER TAMARIND SAUCE AND COCONUT-CILANTRO RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Special equipment: A large Dutch oven or deep wok, deep-fry thermometer and two 12-inch bamboo skewers
• Prepare the ginger tamarind sauce: In large saute pan over medium-high heat, add 1/4 cup of the canola oil and allow to heat. Add the garlic, shallots and fresh ginger and saute until fragrant and the shallots are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the soy sauce, sugar, tamarind paste, fish sauce, sambal and 1/2 cup water. Stir well and cook until the mixture is slightly reduced and has a maple syrup-like consistency, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm until ready to serve.
• Preheat 4 to 5 inches of canola oil to 350 degrees F in a large Dutch oven or deep wok. You need enough oil so the whole fish can be submerged.
• Prepare the fish: Make 3 diagonal slices into the flesh of one side of the snapper, cutting all the way to the bone and spacing the slices 2 inches apart. Repeat with the other side of the fish.
• Combine the cornstarch, rice flour, granulated garlic, ground ginger, salt and pepper in a large baking dish. Lightly dredge the fish all over with the seasoned flour, including inside the cuts. Shake off any excess flour, then form the fish into an "S" curve by threading two 12-inch bamboo skewers through the tail and body so it holds its wavy shape.
• Carefully place the fish into the hot oil so it is almost completely submerged. Fry the fish until deep golden and very crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. As it cooks, use a large metal spoon or ladle to carefully pour hot oil over any exposed part of the fish to ensure it cooks evenly. Carefully remove the fish from the oil and place on a wire rack to drain briefly. Season immediately with salt and lime juice. Carefully remove the skewers from the fish, and place it upright on a platter of Coconut-Cilantro Rice Pilaf. Pour the ginger tamarind sauce over the top. Garnish with the chilies and scallions.
• Rinse the rice by running it under cold water 2 or 3 times until the water runs clear. This removes excess starch and ensures the rice comes out light and fluffy.
• Heat the canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chili flakes and rice and stir well to coat the kernels evenly with oil. Add the coconut milk, salt, sugar and 1 cup water. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook until all the liquid has absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat, keep covered and allow the rice to sit for 5 minutes to steam. Before serving, add the cilantro and fluff with a fork. Yield: 4 to 6 servings

THAI WHOLE GRILLED FISH WITH SWEET & SOUR GLAZE

Steps:

• Score each side of the fish with 3-4 small shallow cuts.
• Combine all marinade ingredients and marinate the fish for at least an hour or up to overnight.
• Prepare the glaze: Place the oil and garlic in a small saucepan, place on medium heat.
• Simmer until garlic begins to turn golden.
• Strain and let cool.
• In another small pot, combine sugar and vinegar, bring to a boil, and simmer for one minute.
• Add fish sauce, ginger, bell pepper, chili paste, and 3 Tbsp of the garlic oil.
• Cook together for 3-5 minutes until sauce reduces slightly.
• Making sure your grill is clean and well-lubricated with plenty of vegetable oil (or using a specially designed fish grilling basket), grill fish over medium heat, approximately 7 minutes per side or until flesh is just opaque at the bone.
• Plate fish and spoon sauce over each fish.
• One small fish is a perfect entrée for one person, share larger fish between two people.
• Serves 4.

SWEET AND SOUR TAMARIND SAUCE

Steps:

• In a sauce pan, heat oil on low heat. Fry the shallots until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
• Add the whole chilis and stir frequent as the chilis will cook very fast. They will turn darker when they are done. Remove the chilis and set aside.
• Add the rest of the ingredients. Let the sauce simmer for one or two minutes. Remove and serve in a small bowl. The sauce will get thicker as it cools.
• Sprinkle the fried shallot and chili on top. If you prefer it hotter, break up the chilis into small pieces and sprinkle on top the sauce.

THAI SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat vinegar and sugar in a sauce pan over high heat until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.
• Add soy sauce and salt.
• Stir. Continue to cook until sauce slightly thickens.
• Remove from heat and stir in garlic and chili sauce.

THAI GRILLED FISH WITH SWEET-SOUR TAMARIND SAUCE / PLA POW

Steps:

• 1. Rinse the fish, inside and out, under cold running water, then drain and blot dry with paper towels. Make 3 or 4 diagonal slashes, to the bone, on each side of each fish. Place the fish in a nonreactive baking dish or roasting pan just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Combine the fish sauce and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk to blend, then pour the mixture over the fish. Turn the fish once or twice to coat, then sprinkle with the lemon slices and pepper. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.2. Preheat the grill to medium-high.3. While the fish marinates, prepare the sauce. Combine the sugar, Tamarind Water, and fish sauce in a small, heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, until thick and well flavored, 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.4. Meanwhile, heat the oil to 350°F in a small, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and fry until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a wire skimmer, remove the shallots from the oil to paper towels to drain. Add the sliced garlic to the hot oil and fry until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes, then remove with the skimmer to paper towels. Add the sliced chiles to the hot oil and fry until crisp, another 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer with the skimmer to paper towels. Set the oil aside to cool.5. Remove the sugar mixture from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and half each of the fried shallots, garlic, and chiles, setting the remainder aside for garnish. Cover the sauce and set aside to keep warm.6. When ready to cook, remove the fish from the marinade and blot dry with paper towels. Brush each fish on both sides with the reserved frying oil. If you're worried about the fish sticking, use hinged fish grilling baskets otherwise, oil the grill grate and place each fish directly on it. Grill until the skin on the first side is dark and crisp and the flesh is cooked through to the bone on that side, 6 to 10 minutes. Turn each fish carefully with a long spatula and cook on the second side until the fish breaks into firm flakes when pressed with a finger, another 6 to 10 minutes.7. Using the spatula, carefully transfer the fish to a platter. Bring them to the table and fillet, then spoon half the sauce over the fillets and sprinkle with the remaining fried shallots, garlic, and chiles. Serve immediately, accompanied by the remaining sauce.Serves 4