04.09.2013 - This is a FANTASTIC Dish!! you surely don't need a open air grill to cook this. I used my convention oven to grill and the result was fantastic! Love this dish. for the first time i cook and was so successful. This recipe is good to keep!
INGREDIENTS:-
Sambal (makes about 1 bowl)
150 g shallots
( i used 6-7 pcs )
75 g garlic
( 5pcs )
15 g ginger
( thumb size )
40 g lemongrass, tender, non-bitter part only
( 1 lemongrass )
50 g red chillies
( fresh curls chili, handfull )
15 g dried chillies
( a small rice bowl amount soak in hot water )
trim stems, cut 2 cm long, soak in warm water till soft, about 30 minutes; squeeze dry and discard water
( BLEND ALL THIS INGREDIENTS with a hand blender )
15 g belacan (fermented shrimp paste)
( i just mixed in while cooking sambal )
20 g tamarind paste, mash with 2 tbsp hot water, drain and discard seeds and pulp
½ cup vegetable oil
30 g palm sugar, roughly chopped
¼ tsp salt
1 whole stingray wing, ( i prefer to cut into smaller pcs. )
rinse and drain; cut a 2-3 slits in thicker end along the grain
1/3 tsp salt
1 piece frozen banana leaf , thaw and rinse; trim to fit baking tray
( i don't have banana leaf so i used aluminium foil )
Garnish, calamansi limes, halved
METHOD :-
Wash stingray and sprinkle with salt and tamarind juice to marinate both side.
Peel and roughly chop shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and fresh & dry red chillies blend with hand mixer/ blender.
Stir-fry sambal paste with vegetable oil over medium heat till fragrant and colour darkens, about 15 minutes. Add palm sugar. Stir-fry till dissolved. Add tamarind juice, 3tbsp calamansi juice, sugar & salt. Stir-fry till oil separates. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Remove from heat. Leave till cool. You should have about 1 soup bowl of sambal. After sambal was cooked, i blend everything again one more time, so that the sambal will be more fine.
Use about 1/2 cup for 400-500 g stingray. Remaining 1/2 cup may be stored for a few weeks refrigerated.
Preheat grill to 250c.
Line baking tray with aluminium foil. Lightly brush with vegetable oil. ( no banana leaf ) Place stingray on baking tray , white side up. Season lightly with salt, including slits. Grill till 70-80% cooked, about 10 minutes depending on thickness of fish. Turn over the black side and grill further 10 mins. By this time both side should be 100% cooked. Spread with sambal, thinly. Grill till top of stingray feels firm when pressed chopsticks, about 5 minutes. and turn the other side grill for 5 minutes.
If you used Banana leaf -. ( After 10mins each side )Lift stingray from baking tray with a spatula. Place banana leaf in tray. Flip stingray onto banana leaf. Spread with sambal, thickly. Grill till fully cooked and sambal is sizzling and slightly charred, 5 minutes or so.
Slide foil, leaf and fish onto serving plate. Pull foil from underneath banana leaf and discard.
Garnish and serve immediately. Squeeze kasturi/ calamansi lime before served.
