Hello,

When it comes to Eurasian cuisine, Damian D’Silva knows best. The chef-partner of Rempapa has been championing this cuisine in Singapore since he kick-started his culinary career more than two decades ago. 

D'Silva tells us that Eurasian cuisine is a mix of the different ethnicities that are present in Singapore. It also embraces the uniqueness of every culture, so dishes are extremely flavourful with the use of key spices like cloves, cinnamon, and star anise, as well as wet spice mixes like lemongrass, candlenut and galangal. Here, he shares his recipe for curry Mohlyu, which he ate regularly as a child when seafood was more popular because of its availability.

INGREDIENTS

Part 1: Rempah

- 40 g of galangal, skinned
- 8 dried chillies 
- 2 stalks of lemongrass (white part only)
- 30 g of turmeric, skinned
- 7 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 230 g of shallots, peeled
- 100 g of grated coconut, toasted 
- 35 g of belachan, toasted
- 6 pieces of candlenut 
- 4 tbsp of coriander powder (toasted and ground)
- 2 tbsp of black pepper (toasted and ground)

Part 2: Fishballs

- 1 kg of mackerel whole fish
- Ice water with salt (a tablespoon of salt to 2 cups of water)

Part 3: Curry

- 6 brinjal, about 15cm long, slice it half length, deep-fried and drained
- Coconut oil
- 1 tbsp of lime juice
- 2 tbsp of rice vinegar 
- Coconut milk from one and a half coconuts. Add 2 cups water for diluted coconut milk.
- Garnish fried garlic and shallot

METHOD

Part 1: Rempah

- Combine all the spices for the rempah into a spice blender and blend until finely ground.

Part 2: Fishballs

- To remove the flesh from the mackerel, fillet the fish and scrap off the meat from the bones and skin with a spoon. (Keep the fish bones for fish stock).
- Mince the fish meat with the back of a knife till a fine texture is achieved.
- Wet hands in ice salted water, knead and slam the fish paste into a large bowl for about 70 times and add salt water when the paste gets sticky. You want to achieve a sticky and smooth consistency. 
- Wet the hand, squeeze the paste, scoop out a portion with a spoon and drop it into a bowl of ice salted water.
- Soak the fish balls in the ice salted water for at least 2 hours to firm up the shape.

Part 3: Curry

- Heat up the oil in a saucepan, add the spice paste and cook it over medium heat. Stir it constantly for about 15 to 20 minutes till the paste is cooked.
- Add the diluted coconut milk and let it simmer for a while (about 5 to 7 mins).
- Add the deep fried brinjals.
- Add the fish stock and cook it till about gravy consistency.
- Add the fishballs and coconut milk. Cook it for about 5 minutes.
- Add a teaspoon of salt, then add rice wine vinegar and lime juice.
- Garnish with fried shallots and garlic.

Keep reading below!

Dudi Aureus
Senior Dining Editor, Singapore

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