Pla Neung Manau / Steamed Fish With Lime Juice, Garlic, And Chili
Just so you know; when you see the words ‘pla’ in a Thai menu, it is a fish dish. ‘Pla’ is fish in Thai. When it comes to fish dishes here, I have a tough choice to make as all the fish dishes that I have tasted here are good. But when it comes to the best, I must say that the Pla Neung Manau takes the trophy (my personal choice). I love the fragrant sweet and sour gravy mixed with the natural sweetness of the sea bass or barramundi in English (siakap in local Malay language). This delightful fish dish is filled with flavours that one will find it very hard to stop despite feeling full and finding too spicy.
The first time I ate this fish dish, I had problems speaking. The sauce was too spicy and I was sweating like crazy despite the air-conditioning. Yet, I could not stop indulging (that is how delicious this dish is). Tears were welling up in my eyes and I had plenty of ice water on my table to douse the heat.
I did not know then that the level of spiciness could be brought down to a more bearable level until my next visit. This time I was reminded by my wife about my first encounter with this dish. We then found out that we can order a less spicy one which gave the same amounts of delight minus the burn. If you love chili and can take the heat, order it spicy. If you can only take a mild level of spiciness, order is mild. Whichever way, this fish is simply delicious.