← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 600 g firm fish steaks (seer, kingfish, mackerel), cut into pieces
• 30 g tamarind block (lemon-sized), soaked in 400 ml hot water and squeezed out
• ½ tsp Ground turmeric
• 2 tsp Chilli powder
• 1½ tbsp Ground coriander
• 1¼ tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 40 g grated coconut
• 1 tsp Fennel seeds
• 1 Tomato, chopped
• 4 tbsp gingelly (sesame) oil or vegetable oil
• ½ tsp Mustard seeds
• ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• 15 small shallots, halved
• 6 cloves Garlic, halved
• 1 Tomato, chopped

Method

1. Stir the turmeric, chilli powder, coriander and salt into the tamarind water. Blend the coconut, fennel seeds and one tomato with a splash of water into a smooth paste.
2. Heat the oil in a clay pot or heavy pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds; when they pop, add the fenugreek and curry leaves for a few seconds until the fenugreek turns golden.
3. Add the shallots and garlic and fry for 6–8 min until golden, then the chopped tomato for 3 min until soft.
4. Pour in the spiced tamarind water and simmer for 10 min, until the raw smell is gone and oil starts to float.
5. Stir in the coconut paste and simmer for 3 min, then slide in the fish. Cook gently for 6–8 min without stirring, just swirling the pan, until the fish is cooked through.
6. Turn off the heat and leave covered for at least 15 minutes before serving with hot rice.

Tips

• Move the fish as little as possible; swirl the pot instead of stirring so the pieces stay whole.
• The curry keeps 2 days in the fridge and the flavour gets deeper.

Sources

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

Sharmis Passions Archana's Kitchen