michelle picker cooks

Fish steamed in this way retains all it’s flavour and moisture.

Place the fish in a shallow dish and sprinkle with a little fish sauce. Top with sliced spring onion tops, coriander, fresh chilli and kaffir lime leaf. Place the dish over boiling water and cover, steaming for approximately 10 minutes until the fish is just cooked.

As well as steamed rice, I accompanied the fish with a quick vegetable stir-fry.

It’s important to have everything prepared before starting this dish. Finely dice 2-3 cloves of garlic, a tablespoon of dried shrimp and a similar amount of lemon grass. Cut the tomatoes and onions in half and then into wedges. Clean a bunch of Red Amaranth (Chinese Spinach) and pick the leaves off 3-4 stems of sacred or holy basil. The final ingredients are 1-2 teaspoons of Vietnamese pickled chilli and a pinch of sugar. Heat some oil in a wok until very hot then briefly fry the garlic, shrimp and lemon grass with the chilli, then add the rest of the ingredients and continue to cook only until the tomatoes are softening but still whole. Serve immediately.