Ingredients:

  • 1 whole pomfret fish (approx. 300-400g/10-14oz), cleaned and scaled
  • 50g Tom Yum Paste
  • Fresh Celery leaves, roughly chopped for garnish
  • 500 ml (2 cups) Water
  • 3 small Cayenne Peppers, finely chopped
  • 1 medium Tomato, quartered
  • 2 stalks Lemongrass, bruised
  • 1 medium Red Onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 Red Chili, finely chopped
  • Juice of 1/2 medium Lemon
  • Salt, to taste
  • Sugar or Fish Sauce, to taste (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Gently massage the Tom Yum paste all over the cleaned pomfret, inside and out. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes.
  2. Bring water to a boil in your steamer pot. Place the marinated pomfret on a heat-proof plate or directly onto the steamer basket. Cover and steam for 15-20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.
  3. While the fish is steaming, combine all the sauce ingredients (water, cayenne pepper, tomato, lemongrass, red onion, red chili, and lemon juice) in a saucepan.
  4. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the flavors have melded together and the sauce has slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, sugar, or fish sauce as needed.
  5. Once the fish is cooked, carefully remove it from the steamer. Place the steamed pomfret on a serving plate. Pour the hot Tom Yum sauce generously over the fish. Garnish with chopped celery leaves. Serve immediately.