Spicy Green Chilli Pan-Fried Fish

This is the kind of food that we readily eat using our hands. It's an urge that is typically present when faced with a dish of spicy food that is meant to be had with rice. At least, that's how it is amongst my Malaysian friends and family. Sometimes, with a second serving of rice. There is nothing strange about it. It is a deeply satisfying way of appreciating food we love. You could say it's the finger-licking way!

For everything else, we'll gladly pick up the eating utensils.

I used quite a bit of chilli for this recipe and it is every bit as spicy as it looks.

Spicy Green Chilli Pan-Fried Fish

Spicy Green Chilli Pan-Fried Fish
Ingredients:
- 660g patin fish (freshwater silver catfish) or to preference (sliced)
- 12 green chillies (deseed, sliced)
- 1 large onion (roughly chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (smashed)
- 3 lemongrass (1 smashed, 2 sliced thinly)
- 2 handfuls of fresh coriander (roughly chopped)
- 4 calamansi (juiced)
- ⅔ cup cooking oil
- ¼ cup water
- Salt to taste

How-to:
1) Blend green chillies, onion, garlic, sliced lemongrass and fresh coriander together with water, into a rough paste (not too fine). Keep aside for later use.

2) Rub the fish with salt and calamansi juice. Heat oil in pan. Pan-fry the pieces until cooked and lightly browned on both sides. Remove fish from pan. Keep aside for later use. Leave the oil in the pan. Do not switch the heat off.

3) Pour the blended ingredients into the same pan with the smashed lemongrass. Stir-fry until most of the liquid is gone and the paste is a thick glossy shade of faded green. Season with ½ tsp salt (to preference). Stir to combine.

4) Finally, lower the heat and gently fold the fried fish into the gravy. Dish out and serve hot.

Best eaten with hand .... I mean, rice.

1) Pan-fry the fish. 2) Keep fried fish aside for later use.
3) Ingredients to blend. 4) Blended chilli ingredients.

Note: I doubled the amount of coriander (not shown in picture above). 
You may use red chilli. I decided to go with all green in the end.

1) Stir-fry blended ingredients in a lot of oil.
2) Cook into a thick glossy paste of pale green (where most of the liquid has evaporated).
3) Season with salt. Stir well, then gently fold fish in.

Spicy Green Chilli Pan-Fried Fish