Steamed Fish In Lemon Sauce / Plaa Noong Manao

Preparation time: 12-20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Per fish	Ingredients:
500-600g	Fish, gutted, prepared whole freshwater fish is preferable. Try Snapper, Bandit, Grouper, Trout or any fish with few bones.

For marinade:
3g	Fresh coriander roots - cut into ½cm pieces
2 cloves	Garlic - peeled
1 teaspoon	Ground pepper
5g	Chinese ginger - slice across root into 1/2 cm by 3-4 cm
80g	Peeled onion - cut into 3 cm chunks
150g	Mushrooms - angel, champignon, Chinese mushrooms etc.
1	Large red Chili - discard seeds and stem, slice into 3 mm by 3 cm lengths
10g	Shallots - cut into fine slices, 3 cm diameter
½ teaspoon	Limejuice
1 teaspoon	White sugar
1 ½ tablespoon	Light Soy Sauce
1	Spring onion - chop into 3 cm lengths
1 stalk	Celery - cut into 2 cm lengths
2 slices	Lime - 2 mm width

Method:

1. Mix coriander root, garlic and ground pepper in mortar. Grind to a paste using the pestle.
2. Put the fish in the center of a dinner plate, or a metal fish-shaped serving dish. Make three horizontal incisions on both sides of the fish and coat the whole fish with the paste.

For decoration and flavor:

1. Garnish the fish with sliced ginger. Cover the fish with the onions. Put the mushrooms over and around the fish. Sprinkle sliced mushrooms over the fish, then the red chilies and shallots. Pour limejuice over the fish. Mix sugar and soy sauce and pour over fish.
2. Put the plate with the fish into the steamer. Steam for 9 minutes on maximum heat.
3. Open steamer lid and sprinkle the lime pieces, then the spring onions over the fish. Cover the whole fish with the celery pieces. Close pot lid.
4. Steam for one more minute on maximum heat. Savor the aroma as you open the lid.
5. Before eating, take the lime pieces off the fish, squeeze out the juice and add this to the natural juices (don't squeeze the lime skin as it will make the sauce bitter). Discard the lime skin
6. Serve with steamed Rice.

For Vegetarians

No vegetarian version available.