Rebuilt vegan · Amok trei (kambodschanisches gedämpftes Fischcurry mit Kokosmilch)
Spicy vegan Amok in banana leaf with tender tofu and coconut topping
Freshly pounded, spicy kroeung is combined with coconut milk, silken tofu, and a little starch into a creamy mixture. Inside are tenderly broken pieces of tofu, marinated with soy sauce and nori, on a bed of Swiss chard. The whole dish is gently steamed in small molds lined with banana leaf and finished with coconut cream, makrut threads, and chili. Served with jasmine rice.
- ⏱ 1 h 6 min total
- 🔪 47 min active
- 📊 mittel
- 🍽 2 people
Ingredients
Scaled from the base amount for 2 people.
For the kroeung
For the amok base and filling
For steaming and garnishing
For the rice
Contains: soja, gluten. Please check the labels on the packaging yourself.
Method
Prepare aromatics, chilies, and banana leaves
If using, deseed the dried chilies and soak in hot water. Finely slice lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, garlic, shallot, and bird's eye chilies. Remove the central vein from the makrut leaves: finely chop 3 leaves, cut 2 leaves paper-thin and set aside for garnish. Cut the garnish chili into thin strips. Pour hot water over the banana leaves until pliable and dry them. Line four shallow, heatproof ramekins (approx. 200–250 ml each) with them and trim overlapping edges.
- ⏱ 12 min
- 🔥 niedrige Hitze
- 🍳 Cutting board
- 🍳 Knife
- 🍳 4 ramekins
- 🍳 Kettle
Done when: The banana leaves are darker green, glossy, and can be pressed into the ramekins without tearing.
Break and marinate tofu
Drain the plain tofu and gently pat dry with paper towels without squeezing it. Break into flat, irregular pieces of about 3 cm. Gently mix with 5 ml soy sauce and half of the crushed nori, and let infuse for 10 minutes.
- ⏱ 10 min
- 🔥 niedrige Hitze
- 🍳 Bowl
- 🍳 Paper towels
Done when: The broken edges are lightly browned, and no liquid remains in the bowl.
Pound kroeung finely
Pound lemongrass, galangal, and turmeric vigorously with the salt in a heavy mortar. Then incorporate one after another the squeezed-out dried chilies, garlic, chopped makrut leaves, bird's eye chilies, and finally the shallot. Grind for about 10 to 12 minutes into a moist, homogenous paste and remove tough fibers. Alternatively, purée finely in a small blender with 1 to 2 tbsp of the coconut milk. Do not fry the paste.
- ⏱ 12 min
- 🔥 niedrige Hitze
- 🍳 Granite mortar
- 🍳 alternatively small blender
Done when: The paste is bright orange-yellow, moistly glossy, smells strongly lemony-resinous, and no fibers can be felt between the fingers anymore.
Mix and season coconut mixture
Set up the steaming water in a pot with a steamer insert, covered. From the unshaken coconut milk, first skim off 50 ml of thick cream and set aside. Blend silken tofu, 250 ml coconut milk, cornstarch, miso, palm sugar, 15 ml soy sauce, and the remaining nori with an immersion blender until completely smooth. Stir in the kroeung. Taste a small sample: The mixture should taste boldly salty, distinctly spicy, and slightly sweet, as the seasoning mellows somewhat during cooking. Add a pinch of salt if necessary.
- ⏱ 6 min
- 🔥 hoche Hitze
- 🍳 Immersion blender
- 🍳 Blending beaker
- 🍳 Pot with steamer insert
Done when: The mixture is smooth, without tofu lumps or starch lumps, and has the consistency of thin pouring cream.
Layer ramekins
Line the bottom of the lined ramekins with Swiss chard. Loosely distribute the marinated tofu pieces on top. Stir the mixture again, as the starch settles, and pour evenly over until the tofu is covered. The filling height should be at most about 3 cm.
- ⏱ 5 min
- 🔥 niedrige Hitze
- 🍳 4 ramekins
- 🍳 Spoon
Done when: The tofu pieces are completely covered with the mixture, and all four ramekins are filled to about the same height.
Steam gently and finish with coconut layer
Reduce the heat to medium so that the water simmers steadily but not boiling vigorously. Place the ramekins spaced apart in the insert; the water must not touch them. Wrap the lid in a kitchen towel so no condensation drips onto the mixture. Steam for about 22 minutes. Then check the set: If the mixture is still liquid, steam for another 3 to 5 minutes. Then spoon approx. 12 ml of the skimmed coconut cream as a layer on top of each portion, top with chili strips, and steam for another 3 to 4 minutes. Keep an eye on the water level.
- ⏱ 26 min
- 🔥 mittele Hitze
- 🍳 Pot with steamer insert or bamboo steamer
- 🍳 Kitchen towel
- 🍳 optional kitchen thermometer
Done when: The mixture is set at the edges and only wobbles slightly like pudding in the center. A spoon shows a creamy, set cross-section without milky liquid, and a sample no longer tastes floury. The coconut layer is hot and lightly set. Optionally, the thermometer in the center reads about 85 °C.
Cook jasmine rice
Bring the washed, drained rice to a boil with 195 ml water in a small pot. Cover and cook over lowest heat for about 12 minutes, then remove from the heat and let swell covered for 10 minutes. Do not stir. If package instructions differ, follow those.
- ⏱ 22 min
- 🔥 niedrige Hitze
- 🍳 Small pot with lid
Done when: The water is completely absorbed, small steam holes appear on the surface, and the grains are tender but not mushy.
Rest briefly and serve
Carefully lift the ramekins out of the steamer with a cloth and let rest for 5 minutes so the mixture can set further. Sprinkle with the paper-thin makrut threads. Serve two ramekins per person with jasmine rice. Do not eat the banana leaves.
- ⏱ 5 min
- 🔥 niedrige Hitze
- 🍳 Kitchen towel
- 🍳 Plates
Done when: The mixture has set slightly and is creamy and spoonable, and a distinct aroma of makrut and banana leaf rises.
From the kitchen
Tipps
Do not shake the can
Open the coconut milk unshaken so that the thick cream on top can be skimmed off. It is intended for the topping and should not be stirred into the mixture.
Control the heat in the paste
Taste the kroeung on the fingertip after pounding. It must taste significantly hotter than the finished dish should be, because coconut milk and tofu strongly temper the heat.
Mortar or blender
In the mortar, the paste becomes more aromatic and finer. A small blender is faster, but needs some liquid. For this, take the coconut milk from the 250 ml amount, do not add it extra.
What can go wrong
And what helps then
The mixture remains liquid or becomes watery.
Dab the tofu dry thoroughly and stir the mixture again before filling, as starch settles. Cook longer and with even steam, catch condensation with the cloth.
The mixture is rubbery or dry at the edge.
Steamed too vigorously or for too long. Steam over medium heat and check from minute 20, limit the filling height to 3 cm.
Fibrous pieces in the mouth.
Only use the tender inner parts of the lemongrass, cut everything crosswise into very fine rings and remove hard fibers after pounding.
Too salty.
Only season to taste after mixing, as soy sauce, miso, and marinade already add salt. Add additional salt only if necessary.
Variations
Variants
einfacher
Without banana leaf in cups
Line heatproof cups or ramekins with parchment paper. The taste remains almost the same, only the slightly grassy leaf aroma is missing.
traditioneller
Folded Kratong bowls
Fold two banana leaf circles of approx. 20 cm diameter each in a double layer into square bowls and pin the corners with toothpicks. Because of the higher filling, steam 5 to 8 minutes longer and carefully check the set.
bissfester
With king oyster mushrooms
Replace half of the tofu with 120 g king oyster mushrooms cut crosswise into thin slices and marinate along with it. The mushrooms provide a heartier, firmer bite, but release water; therefore use 2 g more starch.
glutenfrei
With tamari
Instead of soy sauce, use a tamari labeled as gluten-free and ensure that the miso is rice- or soy-based without barley.
Afterwards
Storing and reheating
Storing
Covered, keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Store rice separately, let cool quickly, and consume within one day.
Reheating
Heat the ramekins through with gentle steam for 8 to 10 minutes until the center is steaming hot. In the microwave there is a risk that the mixture curdles or dries out at the edge.
veganizo.de/rezept/rec_ty1lgce6 – developed and checked by veganizo.