Peranakan Cuisine or Nyonya cooking is a distinctive cooking style in Malay/Indonesian community. The cooking has a blend of Chinese ingredients with various distinct spices and cooking techniques influenced by the Malay/Indonesian/Siam community. Good cooking from Chinese culture and the use of local spices makes Peranakan Cuisine unique. Nyonya food is a refined food with a good balance of Yin & Yang with sweet, sour, salty and spiciness and their wonderful infusion of flavours & colours into the food.
          I personally find a lot of Peranakan dishes similar to Cochin & Goan style cooking.
          I got a taste and liking for this Nyonya Style Tiga Rasa Steam Fish gradually...  But now this Steamed Fish Recipe has become one of our favourites at home, that I have gone to the extent of cooking it myself with the ingredients I have never used before. And whenever I find good & fresh Siakap (Sea Bass) in the wet market, sometimes very cheap too...,  I cook this at home.  This Nyonya Style Tiga Rasa Steamed Fish goes well with Fragrant Jasmine Rice or with any rice dish of your choice.
     This Nyonya Style Tiga Rasa Steam Fish/Steamed Sea Bass(Siakap) Fish Recipe has a perfect blend of three flavours, Sweet, Sour & Spicy and hence the name Tiga Rasa(Three tastes/flavours) in Malay.  It is cooked in Peranakan style with an overwhelming blend of flavours from the spices and herbs they uniquely use Lemon Grass, Ginger Flower, Laksa Leaves and Kaffir Lime Leaves.

Cuisine : Peranakan (Malaysian, Southeast Asian)
Course : Side Dish
Spice Level  : Medium - High
Difficulty : Medium
Serves : 2
Author : SM

Preparation Time : 15 - 30 Minutes
Cooking Time : 20 - 30 Minutes

HOW TO COOK NYONYA STYLE TIGA RASA STEAMED FISH  

INGREDIENTS :

To Marinate :

Sea Bass/ Siakap - 1 Fish
Lemon Juice - 2 Tbspns.
Salt & Sugar - To Taste
Vinegar  -  2 Tspns.

To Grind :

Dried Chillies (soaked)  -  15 Nos.
Bird's Eye Chillies ( Chilli Padi) - 5 Nos.
Onion  -  1 No.
Garlic  -  5 Cloves
Lemon Grass ( Serai) - 1 Stalk
Turmeric Root - 2" Piece
Shrimp Paste (Belacan)  -  1 tspn
Candle Nuts   -  5 Nos.

For the Sauce :

Tomato Sauce - 2 Tbspns
Thai Chilli Sauce - 2 Tbspns
Fish Sauce - 1Tbspn
Oyster Sauce - 1 Tbspn
Chicken Granules - 1 Tspn

Other Ingredients :

Laksa Leaf (Daun Kesum) - 2 Strings
Ginger Flower (Bunga Kantan ) - 1 No
Coriander Leaves - a Small bunch
Spring Onions - Few Stalks
Ginger - 1" Piece
Lime Juice - 3 Tbspns
Kaffir Lime Leaves - 2 Nos.
Salt & Sugar - To Taste
Oil - 3 Tbspns

METHOD :

• Clean the fish and marinate it with salt, sugar, lemon juice & vinegar. 
• Leave it aside for 15 -20 minutes.
• Steam the fish for 8 minutes on a medium flame, with ginger, coriander leaves and spring onions.
• When cooked remove the fish and discard the water.
• Dry roast the Shrimp paste for few minutes.
• Soak Dry Chillies in hot water for 15 minutes.
• Grind the ingredients under the list 'To Grind' to a smooth paste.
• Heat oil and fry the ground paste until fragrant in medium flame.
• Add ginger buds and Laksa leaves to the above.
• Add 1/2 cup water, salt, sugar, lemon juice and the sauce mix and mix well. 
• Leave the sauce on a low flame for few minutes.
• Pour the sauce mixture onto the steamed fish and cook for few more minutes.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, spring onions and kaffir lime leaves.
• Serve Nyonya Style Tiga Rasa Steamed Fish hot,  with fragrant rice, or any rice dish of your choice.

Notes :

• Alternatively, can deep fry the fish.  While frying add 2 tbpsns of corn starch to the ingredients mentioned under 'To Marinate'.
• Adjust the spiciness to your preference.
• Steaming the fish and then discarding the water used for it, is to avoid the fishy smell.