Asam pedas fish: stingray (ikan pari)Melaka tanjong keling

Ingredients:
Blend Paste:
3 - 4 medium size red onions
6-7 cloves of garlic
Turmeric (1 thumb size)
Ginger (1 thumb size)
Belachan Paste (2 thumb size)

Chilli paste from 30 dried chillies
Or just add the soaked dried chillies 
(hot water) to the same blender with the blended paste

Other ingredients:
eggplant
Kesum leaves
Salt / seasoning powder
1 tablespoon sugar
Enough water

1 teaspoon fennel seeds (jintan manis)

A handful of tamarind 
(ramas2 with 2 cups of water to make juice)
Strained out the seeds and misc

2 tbs Black Pepper powder
2 tbs Black Pepper coarse/bullets
1 tsp little fenugreek (halba)

1-2 tbsp fish curry powder babas

agak2 if not spicy enough add chilli paste more

1 medium sized stingray / Red fish

Mtd:

1) Initialize ..
rinse the eggplant and cut lengthwise & at an angle (serong)  or coins cut also can

2) Blend:
red onions
garlic
Turmeric
Ginger
Belachan Paste
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (jintan manis)

3) Next step, heat enough oil in a pot, not too much but definitely not too little.

(Unfortunately if you use too little the initial sambal paste will not look good, if concerned please use olive oil - like me ✌

4) When the oil is hot , add fenugreek (halba)
Skip if u don't like

5) add to hot oil the well-blended mixture & saute until fragrant ..

6) add chilli paste if not part of the blended mix

7) add fish curry powder and sugar

8) Saute until the chilli oil rises in med-high heat( Tumis sampai naik minyak)

9 ) once the chilli oil rises add in the strained tamarind juice

10) Add more water when required

11) add fish

Note:
-always add fish after asam to prevent the fish from breaking in the pot
-when making asam beef add beef 1st cook till tender before adding asam last just before the heat is turned off.

12) Add salt / seasoning powder to taste

13) add kesum leaves

-for beef, substitute leaves kesum to kaffir lime leaves
Add 1 small pack of kerisik

14) turn down heat from medium to low
To avoid fish from breaking

15) Add black pepper

16) let it simmer for abt 5 to 19mins before adding eggplant/ladies fingers

17) Cook another 5 minutes

18) serve with hot rice or with bread for