Prepare your ingredients, grating the palm sugar. De-seeding the chili. Peel the skin off the garlic and shallot. Then roughly cut them to put in the food processor.

Also, slice the galangal finely as it has a woody or string texture - so the small size is better. Slice the lemongrass into a small size. Along with these ingredients. put the shrimp powder, tamarind paste, and turmeric powder also in the food processor. Also, add a little vegetable oil also - 1- tablespoon) into a food processor and blend for approximately 5 minutes, until the paste is evenly processed and into quite a fine paste. Because this paste will later be spread over the fish. 

 

Turn on the instant pot to high saute - and cook the paste for 3-4 minutes. Also after about 1 minute crush the kaffir lime leaves to release the oil and add the bay leaves also. 

 

You can tell the paste is cooked as the smell intensifies.  Take the bowl out of the instant pot and add the palm sugar, salt and pepper to taste - stirring it in well first. Taste a small amount of the paste and adjust to your liking.

 

The look to prepare the fish by firstly removing all the bones, and then in a bowl squeeze the juice of half a lime and gently massage the juice into the fish. 

 

Take some aluminun foil - and put the banana leaf - or parchment paper on top. Take one of two of the kaffir lime leaves and place first- then add the fish. Generously cover both sides of the fish with the paste. Lastly if you have it add some basil leaves - or your favorite herb.

 

Wrap the fish parcels up so that the juices can not leak out and place them in the instant pot on the trivet and steamer if you have one. Add water to just cover the trivet and cook for 10 minutes and 5 minutes natural pressure release.

 

Then you are ready to serve