← Nouns Cooking · West & East African

Ingredients

• 700 g firm white fish (kingfish, snapper or tilapia), cut into large pieces
• 2 tbsp lemon juice, plus wedges to serve
• ½ tsp Ground turmeric
• 1 tsp Chilli powder, divided
• 1 tsp Salt, divided
• 4 tbsp Vegetable oil, divided
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 3 cm piece Ginger, grated
• 1 Green chilli, slit (optional)
• 3 Tomato, grated
• 1 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 1 tbsp Curry powder
• 1 tsp Ground coriander
• ½ tsp Cumin
• 400 ml Coconut milk
• 1 tsp Tamarind paste (optional)
• 1 handful Coriander (cilantro), chopped

Method

1. Rub the fish with the lemon juice, turmeric, half the chilli powder and half the salt. Leave for 15 min.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Sear the fish for 2 min per side until lightly golden (it will finish cooking later). Lift onto a plate.
3. Add the remaining oil and the onion and fry for 5–6 min until golden. Stir in the garlic, ginger and green chilli and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, curry powder, coriander, cumin and remaining chilli powder and salt. Cook for 6–8 min, stirring, until thick and the oil separates.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and tamarind, if using, and simmer gently for 5 min. Slide in the fish, spoon the sauce over and simmer for 5–7 min, until the fish flakes easily.
6. Scatter with coriander and serve with coconut rice, chapati or ugali and lemon wedges.

Tips

• Never boil hard once the coconut milk is in, or it can split; a gentle bubble is enough.
• Prawns work beautifully too (mchuzi wa kamba): skip the searing and simmer them in the sauce for 3–4 min.

Sources

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

Kaluhi's Kitchen The Standard (Eve Woman)