Bpla Raad Prik(Deep fried fish with 3 flavors sauce)
Prepare:
1 tilapia (or any kind of fish you like)
4 tbsp. sliced red onion
2 tbsp. roughly cut garlic
3 tbsp. cut chili pepper (more or less as you like)
4 big size chili peppers
(remove the seeds and ground finely, this pepper will help with color)
3 coriander roots
2 tbsp. palm sugar
3 tbsp. fish sauce
4 tbsp. concentrated tamarind juice
1 tbsp. tapioca flour
2 cups vegetable oil
Cooking Instructions:
1. Scrape the scales off, cut the stomach and remove the inside part, make stripe the whole fish and clean again. Wipe the fish with kitchen towels.
2. Heat the pan, use high volume. Add vegetable oil. Wait until the oil is very hot and then lower it to medium. Deep fried whole fish in vegetable oil until it is crunchy.
3. Remove from the pan when it’s cooked.
4. Next, in a small bowl we will make the sweet and sour sauce. Mix concentrated tamarind juice, palm sugar, fish sauce all together. Taste the sauce and make it 3 flavors (sour, sweet, salty). Mix tapioca flour with 1 tbsp. water then add into the sauce.
5. Boil the sauce on low heat until it get thick. Remove from the stove.
6. After that, in a small pan, add 2 tbsp. vegetable oil. When it’s hot add onion, chili peppers and coriander roots. Stir-fry for 30 seconds.
7. Then, add the sauce from step 4 and mix well. Turn off the fire.
8. Place lettuce on a big plate. When the fried fish cool off, put it on the lettuce. Arrange sliced tomatoes and cucumbers on a side and dress 3 flavors sauce on top of the fish. Serve with jasmine rice.
This recipe is very easy. I got one fresh Tilapia from Tesco Lotus and have them fried it for me (free) :p It was only 16 Baht!!! I’m so excited to get it that cheap. Haha Anyway one fish was enough for me because my husband doesn’t like anything fried.
In Thailand, we fry the fish so crunchy that we will be able to eat the bone and head. I don’t eat the head but some people do.