Cambodian · main

Amok Trey (Steamed Fish Custard in Banana Leaf)

Amok Trey (Steamed Fish Custard in Banana Leaf) reads funk & ferment 5.8, salinity 5.4 and umami 5.2 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Cambodian main, about 1 hr 24 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Funk & Ferment 5.8 · Salinity 5.4 · Umami 5.2 · Marine & Briny 4.5 · Allium 4.0 · Richness 3.9 · Sweetness 3.6 · Citrus 3.2 · Herbaceous 2.7 · Fruity 2.5 · Heat 2.0 · Earthy 1.8 · Nutty 1.5 · Floral 1.5 · Warm Spice 1.5 · Sourness 1.1 · Bitterness 1.1

What's in it (15)

Time & effort: about 1 hr 24 min (59 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 86.2 kcal, 1.4 g protein, 3.4 g fat, 13 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

  1. Make the yellow kroeung. Pound the lemongrass, turmeric, galangal, shredded kaffir lime leaf, shallots, garlic and krachai in a heavy mortar, hardest ingredient first and adding the next only when the last has broken down, until you have a smooth, wet, sunny-yellow paste. This takes 20 to 25 minutes by hand and it is worth it: kroeung is the substrate of Khmer cooking the way sofrito is of Spanish, and a blender leaves it fibrous. Note what is not in it. There is almost no chilli. Cambodian food is aromatic and herbal rather than chilli-forward, and cooks who approach it expecting Thai heat build the wrong dish.
  2. Whisk 300 ml of the coconut cream with the eggs, fish sauce and palm sugar until smooth, then whisk in 4 tbsp of the kroeung. Reserve the remaining coconut cream for the top.
  3. Fold the fish pieces through the custard and leave to marinate 20 minutes in the fridge.
  4. Meanwhile shape the banana leaf into four cups, folding the corners in and pinning them with cocktail sticks, or simply line four small heatproof bowls with the leaf. Pass the leaves briefly over a flame first; they turn glossy and stop cracking.
  5. Lay the shredded noni leaves in the bottom of each cup, spoon the fish and custard on top and set them in a steamer over gently boiling water.
  6. Steam 20 to 25 minutes over a moderate steam, until the custard has just set and no longer wobbles as a liquid when the cup is nudged. Hard boiling will curdle it into grainy scrambled fish, so keep the water at a lively simmer, not a rolling boil.
  7. Spoon the reserved coconut cream over each and top with a whole kaffir lime leaf shredded fine and a few rings of red chilli. Rest 5 minutes and serve with jasmine rice.
  8. Substitutions: catfish fillet can stand in for the snakehead fillet; 2 tsp ground turmeric can stand in for the fresh turmeric; bai nhor leaves; spinach if unavailable can stand in for the young noni.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.