Season the whole fish inside and out, with salt and pepper.

Prepare the spice paste by peeling and chopping all the ingredients before grinding and blending them together. This can be done the day before.

Heat a little oil in a wok, and fry the spice paste for a minute or two. Add the water and lemon-grass, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Top up with a little more water if the stock becomes too thick.

Add the fish pieces and simmer gently until cooked, this will take only a few minutes. Spoon hot stock over the fish during the cooking process.

Carefully remove the fish from the cooking sauce, keeping it warm on a platter while further reducing the sauce.

Serve on a bed of rice, with the sauce poured over the fish, garnish with spring onion and lemon slices.

Modified from: The Food of Indonesia. Wendy Hutton (ed) Periplus Editions.