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Recipe details are AI-generated from the video and may contain errors — for reference only.
Put 4 ounces tamarind in 1 cup warm water and let it sit for a few minutes until the tamarind gets soft.
Watch out
Do not use boiling water which can cook the tamarind unevenly
use warm water to soften it properly
Wash hands thoroughly after handling hot chili peppers and avoid touching your eyes; chili oils can cause severe irritation.
Chop 1 handful fresh cilantro separating stems and leaves, finely dice 1/4 yellow bell pepper, seed and finely chop 6 red jalapeno peppers, and finely mince 6 cloves garlic.
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Remove all seeds from the red jalapeno peppers thoroughly
leaving seeds behind will make the sauce excessively spicy
Crack 3 ounces palm sugar into smaller pieces so it will be easy to dissolve when cooking.
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Break the palm sugar into small uniform pieces
large chunks will take too long to dissolve and burn the sauce
Keep your fingers curled away from the knife blade when scoring the slippery fish skin.
Score 1 medium sized fish of your choice with diagonal cuts through the flesh on both sides down to the bone.
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Cut carefully through the flesh to the bone without cutting the fish in half or breaking the body apart.
Rub 1 tsp salt all over 1 medium sized fish of your choice and into the cuts to draw out excess moisture.
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Rub the salt evenly into all the scored cuts
uneven salting will leave parts of the fish bland
Hot oil will splatter when the fish is placed in the pan; lower the fish gently from the side and stand back.
Deep fry 1 medium sized fish of your choice in hot oil for about 8 minutes on the first side until golden and crispy.
local_fire_departmentmedium high heat, about 8 minutesWatch out
Do not move or flip the fish during the first few minutes, otherwise the skin will stick to the pan and tear.
Extract and strain the soaked tamarind using your hand to squeeze the pulp, then press it through a wire strainer into a bowl to remove all seeds and fibers.
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Press all the pulp thoroughly through the strainer
leaving pulp behind will make the sauce too thin and watery
Hot oil may splatter when flipping the fish; use two spatulas securely and wear an apron to protect yourself.
Carefully flip 1 medium sized fish of your choice and fry for another 7 and a half minutes until golden and crispy on the second side.
local_fire_departmentmedium high heat, about 7.5 minutesWatch out
Flip the fish gently using two spatulas so the crispy skin stays intact and the fish body does not break.
Use a spatula and tongs to lift the heavy hot fish; touching it directly will cause severe burns.
Remove 1 medium sized fish of your choice from the pan and place it onto a wire rack to drain excess oil and cool down.
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Place the fish carefully onto the rack so the crispy crust does not get scraped off.
Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a pan, add 6 cloves garlic and 6 red jalapeno peppers, and stir fry until the garlic turns golden brown and the chili is fragrant.
local_fire_departmentmedium heat, about 3 minutesWatch out
Stir constantly while frying the minced garlic
garlic burns very quickly and will turn bitter if overcooked
Add 1 handful fresh cilantro stems and 0.25 piece yellow bell pepper into the pan and stir fry for about 2 minutes until softened and fragrant.
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Toss the peppers and cilantro stems well with the garlic and chili so all flavors blend evenly.
Pour the strained tamarind juice into the pan with the aromatics and bring it to a boil.
local_fire_departmentmedium high heatWatch out
Pour the liquid gently to avoid splashing hot oil from the pan.
Add 3 ounces palm sugar into the boiling sauce and stir continuously until all the sugar is completely dissolved.
local_fire_departmentmedium heatWatch out
Stir the sauce continuously while the palm sugar melts
otherwise, the sugar will sink and burn at the bottom of the pan
Add 2 tablespoons fish sauce into the sauce and continue stirring until the sauce gets a little bit thick.
local_fire_departmentmedium heat, about 3 minutesWatch out
Simmer until the sauce reaches a coating consistency
if you under-reduce it, the sauce will be too runny to cling to the fish
Handle the pan containing boiling hot sauce carefully using oven mitts to prevent burns from hot liquid splashes.
Place the crispy fish on a serving plate and pour the hot sweet tamarind chili sauce generously on top.
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Pour the hot sauce evenly across the scored fish so every piece absorbs the sweet and sour flavor.
Garnish the sauced fish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve.
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Garnish lightly so the fresh herbs complement rather than overwhelm the flavor of the fish.
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