Welp, it’s been almost three years since I last have an entry on cooking, I guess it’s not better time than now to put in one of my favorite dishes mom used to cook when I was a boy – Nyonya seafood curry with salted fish bone. This really came about because I managed to get some really big whole salted fish from the Filipino market in Kota Kinabalu.

ingredients for seafood curry pot
ingredients for seafood curry pot

As the name of the dish suggests, this is a classic Penang style Nyonya dish. Unlike normal curry dish, the presence of salted fish bone gives it a better taste character that’s much better than salt ever would. It is also a dish that has pretty much everything in it – vegetable, seafood, santan, and with steamed rice, makes a whole meal.

blending onion, ginger, garlic
blending onion, ginger, garlic

Anyway, here’s the ingredient list of the version mom makes:

  • 1 KG prawns and/or other seafood (mussels for example)
  • 2-3 pieces of salted fish bone (kurau fish preferred)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1-2 onion
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 1/2 dozen cili padi
  • spring onion
  • curry paste (best if you can get them from morning market)
  • 1 tomato, 1/2 dozen lady’s fingers, 1 brinjal
  • 2 packets of coconut milk
  • 3-4 spoon cooking oil

"tumis" chili paste with oil, and then add seafood
“tumis” chili paste with oil, and then add seafood

Cooking instructions:

  • clean and soak salted fish bone for 10-15 mins
  • grind up onion, ginger, garlic, and cili padi to a paste
  • heat up oil and fry the paste for a minute
  • add curry paste to the mix, stir for another minute
  • add salted fish, seafood and stir until slightly fragrant, perhaps a minute or so
  • add vegetables, stir for another minute
  • add santan, bring to boil for a couple minutes
  • cut up spring onion and add to the mix (for looks only lah)

add vege and santan next
add vege and santan next

Remember to serve this with a nice plate of steamed rice, low carb diet be damned.

viola, it's all done, seafood curry with salted fish bone
viola, it’s all done, seafood curry with salted fish bone

I promise to not let another 3 years passed before putting up another recipe on this blog, and this is in fact, the 100th. You can find more of my simple recipes here.

KY cooks – Nyonya Seafood Curry with Salted Fish Bone

18 thoughts on “KY cooks – Nyonya Seafood Curry with Salted Fish Bone

  • December 2, 2019 at 1:10 pm
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    i’m in lust with this seafood temptation – nyonya curries are my favourite, with the freshness of the spice mix! đŸ˜€ btw, got 100 recipes can turn into cookbook already đŸ™‚

    Reply
    • December 3, 2019 at 9:24 am
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      Sean: hahaha yes pls publish for me thanks.

      Reply
  • December 3, 2019 at 5:20 am
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    I vote this #1 blog post of the year 2019 #nyonya

    Reply
    • December 3, 2019 at 9:24 am
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      kekeke: terima kasih bang.

      Reply
      • December 6, 2019 at 12:57 pm
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        my naughty ex girlfriend always calls me bang in the he bedroom. I have spoken.

        Reply
        • December 6, 2019 at 10:03 pm
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          PEN15: give some respect to Ah Seng also!

          Reply
          • December 13, 2019 at 5:18 am
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            lol…. reminds me when you met Ah Siew in Cheras a few years back #bhoomz

            Reply
            • December 13, 2019 at 8:22 am
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              kekeke: eh who is Ah Siew?

              Reply
  • December 3, 2019 at 10:04 am
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    Wowwww!!! That looks good…and cooking it in a claypot will surely bring it up to a whole new level!

    Reply
    • December 3, 2019 at 1:29 pm
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      suituapui: yessss, that’s why I use it đŸ˜€

      Reply
  • December 4, 2019 at 2:02 pm
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    Send over some please, hahah!
    This dish is evil, make me tambah nasi!

    Reply
    • December 5, 2019 at 8:46 am
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      Choi Yen: haha eat more eat more!

      Reply
  • December 5, 2019 at 2:47 pm
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    When do you put the salted fish bone in the Claypot? Am I missing that? Together with the seafood?

    Reply
    • December 5, 2019 at 2:57 pm
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      Joyce: oh yesss, missed that out, you put it together with seafood, correct. I’ll update the post too.

      Reply
      • December 6, 2019 at 12:55 pm
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        you fry it abit to release the flavour first

        Reply
        • December 6, 2019 at 10:03 pm
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          PEN15: ahh yes i did.

          Reply

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