Nasi Lemak with Crispy Fish Fillet

Ingredients:
Rice:
2 cups rice, washed and drained well
2 cup coconut milk
1 cup water, or more if necessary
4 tbsp coconut cream (optional)
pinch of salt
3 pandan leaves, knotted

Sambal:
30g dried chillies, soaked then drained well
10g fresh chillies, bird-eye if you like it hot
2 onion, roughly chopped
2 tbsp dried silver fish or ikan bilis, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp tamarind pulp, mixed with 1/3 cup water
2 tbsp sugar, or to taste
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp oil

Crispy Fish:
4 fish fillet, with skin
2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp chilli powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp freshly roasted and ground rice
4 hard boiled eggs, cut in halves
½ cup raw peanuts
200g ikan bilis (dried anchovies)
2 cucumber, sliced

Method:
1. To cook rice, mix all ingredients (except coconut cream) and cook in rice cooker until done. When rice is cooked, mix in coconut cream and fluff rice with a fork. Cover and let it stand for at least 5 mins.
2. Grind dried/fresh chillies, onion, silver fish and garlic until fine. Heat oil, add the ground ingredients and fry until fragrant and paste looks ‘glossy’. Add sugar and salt and continue frying. Strain the tamarind juice and add to the sambal. Cook until sambal is of thick consistency. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven at 180 degree C. Combine ground turmeric, chilli powder and salt, then rub mixture on the fish fillet. Lightly dust some ground roasted rice on the skin side.
4. Heat oil in an oven-proof pan. Place fish, skin side down, on the pan and fry for 3-4 mins. (do not move the fish at this time) Place in oven to continue cooking for 2-3 mins or until fish is done. (alternatively, flip the fish over in the pan and pan-fried for 3-4 mins)
5. Heat oil and deep fried peanuts and ikan bilis until crispy, then drain well. 6. Mix half of the fried ikan bilis with a couple tbsp of the cooked sambal. To serve, place rice on serving plate accompanied by boiled egg, cucumber, ikan bilis, peanuts, sambal and fish fillet.