← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 600 g rohu or carp steaks, or thick firm white fish
• 1 tsp ground turmeric, divided
• 1 tsp salt, divided
• 4 tbsp Mustard oil
• 1 Bay leaves
• 1 3 cm cinnamon stick
• 3 green cardamom pods
• 3 Cloves
• 1 Onion, blended to a paste
• 2 cm piece Ginger, grated
• 4 cloves Garlic, grated
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 200 g thick yogurt, whisked smooth
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Raisins (optional)
• 2 Green chilli, slit
• 100 ml Water

Method

1. Rub the fish with half the turmeric and half the salt and leave for 10 min. Whisk the yogurt with the rest of the turmeric, the chilli powder and sugar.
2. Heat the mustard oil in a wide frying pan until it just smokes, then lower the heat to medium. Fry the fish for 2 min on each side until lightly golden. Lift out.
3. In the same oil, fry the bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves for 30 seconds. Add the onion paste and cook for 6–8 min, stirring, until it turns light golden and stops smelling raw.
4. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for 1 minute. Turn the heat to low and stir in the yogurt mixture slowly, stirring all the time, so it doesn’t split. Cook for 3–4 min until the oil starts to separate.
5. Add the water, the rest of the salt, the raisins and green chillies and bring to a gentle simmer.
6. Slide in the fish, spoon the gravy over, cover and simmer on low for 5–6 min, until the fish flakes easily. Serve with steamed rice.

Tips

• Heating mustard oil to smoking mellows its sharpness. Mustard is a common allergen.
• Room-temperature yogurt and low heat are the keys to a smooth gravy.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Archana's Kitchen Yummy Tummy Aarthi