Curry fish head attempt

Growing up in Singapore was an exciting culinary adventure. One of my favorite Singaporean dishes is curry fish head, and tonight I will attempt to make one, for our department's potluck tomorrow.

Below is what I am going to attempt. I will let you know if it works, and what changes I am going to make. Updated 24 Nov 06: The original recipe I attempted was way too spicy for my lame Filipino taste buds. I made some alterations to neutralize the spice and got general good reviews from my colleagues (naubos!) though some of them also found it too spicy.

Nonetheless, here's a revised version. I'll let you know again when I try this version.

Ingredients:

1 whole fish head (maya-maya), cut into 2 (about 1 kilo)
2 tbsp oil
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1-1/2 native onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp crushed ginger
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1-1/2 cups gata (coconut milk)
1 green chili, seeds removed and cut in half lengthwise
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tamarind cube
1/2 cup hot water
1/3 cup curry powder
1 tsp chili powder
5 okra
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 stalk lemon grass, finely chopped (use the stalk, discard the leaves)
3 tomatoes, quartered

Steam the fish head until barely cooked. Set aside.

Mix 1/2 tamarind cube with 1/2 cup hot water. Add curry powder and chili powder, and mix to form a paste. Set aside.

In 2 tbsp oil, stir-fry the garlic, onions, ginger, turmeric powder until fragrant. Add curry-tamarind paste and stir-fry until cooked. Put in 1/2 the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the other half of the coconut milk, okra, chili, tomatoes, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil then add steamed fish head and simmer gently for about 5 minutes.

Steamed Fish and Chinese Sauce

The original recipe is called "Quick Steamed Fish" by Annie Lim-Kawpeng, from the Assumption Cookbook. We made some changes for the Palacios kitchen.

500 grams fish fillet: lapu-lapu, tilapia or trout OR 1 whole fish (500 grams)
slices of ginger
green onions or leeks

Sauce:
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp Chinese soy sauce
6 tbsp water
4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp rice wine
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Topping:
shredded green onions or leeks
1 tbsp oil
roasted crushed garlic (optional)

1. Put a few slits in the fish. Lay fish on green onion leaves. Insert sliced ginger in the slits and under the fish. Cover with more green onion leaves.
2. Steam fish until done OR microwave on high (2-1/2 to 3 minutes for fillets; 4-1/2 to 5 minutes for whole fish) until fish is tender. Do not overcook. Discard green onions, ginger and fish stock.
3. Combine all sauce ingredients. Heat in a saucepan over fire OR microwave for 35 seconds.
4. Put cooked fish in a serving platter. Pour sauce over the fish. Top the fish with shredded green onions and garlic. Heat oil until smoky and pour very hot oil over the greens. Serve immediately.

Serves 3.

Total cooking and preparation time: 15 minutes if you use the microwave; 30 minutes if you use a steamer