Spicy Sweet and Sour Fish

I heard someone say that fish is brain food. Apparently it can boost your memory. I do wish that I had eaten more fish in my younger days. 

When I was in university, there were 6 departments in the faculty of Life Sciences (Sains Hayat) - Zoology, Botany, Biochemistry, Genetics, Nuclear Science and Dietetics. 

You cannot simply choose which area of study you wanted because it all depended on your exam results. If you performed very badly, your fate lay with the Zoology or Botany department. 

If you wanted to study Dietetics (Food Science), you had to do much better.

Not meaning to be offensive, it was a general rule of thumb that the most stupid (I do not agree that poor results mean you are stupid) are relegated to the Zoology and Botany departments while the most clever among the stupid are shipped into Genetics.

That was my first choice - Genetics. My friends were incredulous. Why? Why? Why not Dietetics? (the most coveted among the departments) they cried.

Quite honestly, I was rather snooty towards Dietetics because I thought that studying about food and nutrition was so...... so....... ordinary. But genetics - DNA, gene therapy, molecular and cellular genetics - that was a lot more happening. 

Sadly, circumstances prevented me from furthering my interest in that field and here I am frying fish.

I could have earned a doctorate. Become Dr Phong Hong. Nominated for a Noble prize for my contribution to mankind. For discovering how to switch off the fat gene. But that's life. Man proposes, God disposes. 

Spicy Sweet and Sour Fish

Recipe source : Adapted from Sajian Istimewa Shariah Abdullah (page 32)

Ingredients :

- 1 ikan siakap (seabass)

- 1 tsp turmeric powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/4 each red, green and yellow capsicum, diced

- 1/2 Japanese cucumber, diced

- 1 tomato, diced

Sauce ingredients mixed together :

- 3 tbsp tomato ketchup

- 1 tbsp plum sauce

- 1 tbsp light soya sauce

- 1/2 cup water

- 1 tsp tapioca starch + 1 tsp water

Blended :

- 1 big onion

- 2 cloves garlic

- 3 slices ginger

- 1 heaped tbsp chili paste

Method :

1. Rub fish with turmeric powder and salt.

2. Fry the fish and set aside on a serving plate.

3. Saute the blended ingredients until aromatic.

4. Add sauce ingredients and bring to a boil.

5. Add capsicum, cucumber and tomato. Stir to mix.

6. Pour sauce over the fish and serve.