Monday, November 5, 2012

A dish born of not having a crucial ingredient


We have a Kamias tree in our garden. It bears fruit throughout the year. The Kamias tree is called cucumber or sorrel tree in English. Its fruit is used both for cooking and traditional medicine. Kamias fruit is very sour so it is often used to make chutney or sauces for meat or fish dishes. I love the dish my mum cooks with it.  She stir fries thinly sliced kamias fruit with sliced pork and fermented soy bean paste all balanced out with garlic and sugar. I usually end up eating an extra serving when she makes  it. It is so aromatic that one can be forgiven for failing to resist. 

The dish I am sharing with you today is a bit of a happy accident born of not having "buah cermai" (Malay gooseberry) at hand. For this chef inspired dish it is a critical ingredient. These greenish, yellowish little fruits grow in clusters. Like kamias fruit, they taste rather sour too.

The following recipe is inspired by Chef Malcom Goh's Crispy Skin Salmon with buah cermai. As I did not have buah cermai in stock, I made my version of Crispy Salmon with kamias fruit instead. I am very happy with how it turned out because it is a pretty dish and had a slight umami taste experience. My Quay Lo is not a big fan of the aqua-culture salmon we get here. As a sport fisherman in the U.S. he always caught wild salmon which he prefers. On the other hand,  I am not a big fan of cooked salmon, preferring the sashimi style of serving it. However, we both agree we are happy to have a way to prepare the salmon that we both like.

Crispy Skin Salmon with kamias compote
Inspired by Chef Malcom Goh - Back to the Streets on AFC



This dish was featured in Asian Food Channel (Official) Facebook Page 
on 8th November 2012

Ingredients:
2 x 100gms salmon fillet

Method:
Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Pan fry in a pan with some corn oil skin side first on low heat. Once the fish is cooked three quarters though, using the change of colour on the flesh as your indication, turn over the fish and allow to cook on the other side for 10 more seconds. Remove the salmon and allow to rest.

kamias compote ingredients:
50gms kamias, diced
1 nos tomato, remove seeds and diced
2 nos sliced shallots
¼ cup fennel, diced
1 chilli padi, finely diced 
2 tbsp sugar
100ml water
40 gms butter
½ tsp salt
1 stalk serai (lemon grass) pounded
½ tsp roux
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
bean sprouts shoots for garnishing

Method:

Boil water and sugar till sugar is completely dissolved. Add in tomato, shallots, kamias, lemon grass and chilli padi and let it simmer till kamias is soften. Add in butter and salt and mix well and let it simmer for another 5 minutes on low heat. Add in diced fennel and simmer till fennel is translucent. Add ½ tsp roux to thicken the sauce. Lastly add in the toasted sesame and place it on the serving plate. Put the piece of salmon on top of the sauce and garnish with bean sprouts shoots. Serve with freshly baked baguette and a green of your choice.

38 comments:

  1. Kamias Fruit sound like they are very tasty and addictive and best served with heaps of sugar or vanilla ice-cream yum!.

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    1. I have not had kamias fruit with vanilla ice cream. I think I should try.

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  2. 健康的煮法。而且很开胃呢!

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  3. Oooo...Melissa would love this. I'm not into salmon - she absolutely loves it!

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    1. If Melissa is a salmon lover, you must make this for her.

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  4. This piece of salmon looks yummy. The sauce will pair well with baguette.

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  5. Very appetizing kind of dish! That salmon looks delish!

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    1. Yes it is very appetizing, I eat lots of bread with it.

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  6. Oh I love pan fried salmon, fried until the skin crunchy and crispy. Never try this kamias before.

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    1. You should try cooking with kamias. It is addictive.

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  7. Quay Po, you can keep the fish, can I have a bowl of rice to go with some of the sauce please? When I was pregnant, I could never eat salmon, now I'm ok, either to eat as a cooked fish or sashimi!

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  8. Still don't know what a Kamias fruit is. Terrible me. Oh and I didn't know the Salmon we get here are aqua-cultured one. What is the difference? I'm a big fan of salmon.

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    1. The wild salmon tasted leaner overall, with a ‘buttery, pleasant texture’ and a sweet, fresh flavor. The cultured salmon, which get less exercise and consume more fat than wild salmon, tasted ‘fishy,’ with ‘slimy, soft’ flesh and a ‘musty, fatty’ aftertaste.”

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  9. I’ll be bookmarking this one.

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  10. This looks so yummy and appetizing. Never though of using kamias with a fish dish. Its always used like how your mum cooks them with pork.

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  11. Looks absolutely delicious and I am quite sure that it is.

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    1. I assure you that it is a good way of preparing salmon.

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  12. Very appetizing! Just thinking of the compote is making my cheeks pucker! I'm imagining it's fantastic with fish!

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    1. It is my dear. Try it and put in your twist again.

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  13. Oh, kamias is belimbing! Haven't seen belimbing for a while, I usually like to slice it and put into sambal belacan. It is very appetizing. Love the salmon dish!

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    1. You want some? Can pass you some when we meet for tea:D

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  14. Can't say I've had kamias before but sure looks very appetising. I also don't know what is Malay gooseberry hehehe. Your salmon is cooked just the way I like it! Crispy skin and medium!

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  15. I have been craving salmon for awhile, so I'm drooling over your dish!

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    1. Stop drooling, you cook so well, I am sure you can easily replicate this dish.

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  16. oh.. I have never heard of Kamias before.... will try and look out for this... you had me curious! :D

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  17. You know this fruit grows here but outside of chutney or pickles I never know what to do with it.

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  18. Sounds like the kamias fruit is a good match for fish. I love the crispy skin and how creative you are!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Lyndsey. Oh kamias can use with meat as well, especially good with pork.

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  19. I love salmon and you just gave me a new recipe to try!

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