Fish Roe Stew - a genuine specialty from mother to son
wait till you hear the story behind this..
this week, we had the greatest honour to host Ustaz Basir Md Shariff, an Islamic educator who also runs Mawar Community Services which is non-profit community organisation in Singapore that supports individuals and families—especially ex-offenders, former drug users, and their loved ones—to rebuild healthy, resilient lives and reintegrate into society.
being an ex-offender himself & being in & out of prison for 10 times for a total of 18 years collectively, he relates well to the people he serves & understands their predicaments without judgment. when asked what he wanted to eat most, he humbly requested for a version of Asam Pedas using Fish Roe, a dish he misses dearly from his late mother who often cooked for him, especially during the times where he gets to go home after getting released form prison.
sadly, his mother passed away just 2 months after he was released from his LAST prison sentence & shortly before he embarked on studying to be an ‘Ustaz’ or religious teacher.
like the asam pedas, his life was full of the ‘sweet’ and the ‘sour’. listening to his story reminded of how one can come out adversities no matter the damage and that starting anew can come at any age of life.
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Fish Roe Asam Pedas
~600g fish roe, intact (we use tenggiri roe, but you can also use other types such as tuna)
1/2 cup oil
paste:
6 shallots, peeled
3 cloves garlic, peeled
20g ginger, peeled
15g galangal
2 stalks lemongrass
10-12 dried chillies, soaked in hot water
3 fresh chillies
2 candlenuts, soaked to soften
15g turmeric root / 1 tbsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp tamarind pulp (asam jawa)
1 ikan bilis stock cube (optional)
2 cups water, or more if needed
1 torch ginger, stalk removed and sliced thinly
few stalks laksa leaves, plucked
2 tomatoes, wedged
5 pcs ladies’ fingers (okra)
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
salt, to taste
sugar, to taste
directions:
blend all the spice paste ingredients together, using just enough soaking water from the dried chilli needed to turn it into a fine paste.
heat oil in a pot and fry the rempah paste on medium heat until the oil starts to split.
add stock cube, water and tamarind and stir to dissolve. simmer for another 3 minutes.
add the fish roe pieces together with laksa leaves, tomatoes, okra and torch ginger flower. cover pot with a lid, turn the heat to a simmer and cook for another 6-7 minutes or until the roe sacs are totally cooked.
season with salt and black pepper and just enough sugar to balance the acidity. the asam pedas should be a nice balance of sour, spicy and umami and the consistency should resemble a thin stew.
serve alongside steamed rice.