Another ambitious first attempt from me, folks. I just came back from Sabah and I had this wonderful asam pedas at 1Borneo. I liked it so much that I decided to spice things up a bit on this gloomy Sunday afternoon. Here goes:

All in the pot. In about a litre of water, add few stalks of lemongrass, crushed and bruised, sliced salted vegetables, asam slices and most important, a good helping of laksa leaves. Heat up slowly.

For the accompanying vegetables, we have okra, eggplant and pineapple. Some people use tomatoes too. I should have had more pineapple.

It’s all in the pan. Blend onions, garlic and ginger into a paste. Fry in some oil with chilli powder, tumeric powder and a cube of toasted belacan.

This is what you’ll get after frying the mixture for about 5-10 minutes. It’s now a smooth, thick and fragrant paste.

By now, your pot of leaves and stalks should be boiling. Stir in the chilli paste you’ve just fried and put in the fish.

Add vegetables next. I added a bit more water. Next, add some salt and sugar to taste. More laksa leaves can also be added if you want a stronger aroma.

And we’re done. The gravy is very special. Many people use it as a soup base for noodles or rice. It didn’t take me too long (<30mins) to prepare this dish. Do try this at home. Your family will love it.