Pla Naeng Ma-Nau (Steamed sea bass)

Haha..the title of this post sounds so exotic ......but it is just a "Steamed fish". You wouldn't think that a steamed fish is anything extra-ordinary ...right ?...but it is .............and you might feel like a gourmet chef...or feel like you are eating gourmet meal after eating this ... :)  I feel so.. The recipe is so simple.......yet so flavorful..... !! But, thai recipes usually are so delicious. My friend Lopa, suggested that I should try this recipe and she is right..I am totally in love with this one... !! 

Ingredients:

• Sea bass-fillets (about 400 gms)
• Garlic 5-6 cloves
• A bunch of coriander leaves
• Juice of Half a lemon
• 2 green(or red) chilies
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• Lemon slices, slit chilies and coriander for garnish

Recipe:

• Wash and clean the sea-bass fillets.

• In a blender combine garlic, chilies, lemon juice and fish sauce and blitz for 10-20 secs to roughly puree.

• Place the fish on the steamer plate. (I used the idli steamer)

• Pour about 1/2 -3/4 tbsp the above prepared marinade on the fish.

• Steam for about 5-6 mins till the fish is cooked.
• Done. It is that simple. Serve with more spicy sauce drizzled over the fish and garnish with lemon slices, chilies and coriander.

Quantity:

• 2 servings
• This recipe will go well with Steamed Jasmine rice or brown rice and a Green Mango Salad

Notes:

• I usually think of how any non-vegetarian recipe can be customized to a vegetarian. I do not know how can you substitute fish..., maybe with tofu..?? If I try it out in future, I will update this post. 
• Instead of pouring the marinade over the fish at the time of steaming, I feel that marinating the fish for an hour or more....makes it more tasty and flavorful.

• In fact, when it was time for me to eat... the fish was sitting in the marinade close to 4 hours. When I steamed it for myself, I dropped the fish in the steamer water (as I touched the hot steamer plate with my bare hands). I took it out..and I thought..."all the sauce is mixed in the water..all I will eat is just a steamed fish".....but it tasted lovely, as it had absorbed all the marinade flavors. So I suggest to marinate the fish for at-least 1 hour. 
• You can use a whole fish with bones removed for better plating and presentation. That's how they do it in thai restaurants :) I however, prefer fish fillets.