I love a good curry! It’s comforting and the spices and flavours are exciting and different to my European palette. I was so pleased when Kankana Saxena from PlayfulCooking agreed to let me feature her delicious zesty fish curry recipe which has been a favourite in our house since I first cooked it.
It’s healthy and delicious and I love the fact that I can ‘style’ it to make it look even more impressive when we’ve got guests.
ZESTY FISH CURRY WITH COCONUT MILK
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes
SERVES: 4 people as main course
INGREDIENTS:
for the chili paste:
7 to 8 dry red chilies
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of cayenne powder
juice of 1/2 lemon
rest of the ingredients:
2 fillets of cod, cut in bite size cubes
1 1/2 cup (350 ml) coconut milk
1 small onion, thinly sliced
chopped fresh coriander for garnish
oil
salt
DIRECTIONS:
In a small saucepan, pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) water, add red chilies and bring it to a boil. Switch off the heat, cover it and let it steep for about 5 minutes. Dry-roast the coriander, cumin powder and grind it to a fine powder. In a food processor or mixer, grind the red chilies along with the water and garlic. Add the freshly ground spice powder to it and give one more blend. Then, add lemon juice and keep it aside.
In a pan, add 1 tablespoon oil and pan fry the cod fillet for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side and keep it aside. In a wok or a deep pan, add 1 tablespoon oil and sauté sliced onion until it’s translucent. Add some salt and the spice paste to the wok. Continue cooking in low heat, occasionally stirring in between, until the spices are cooked through and oil starts to release. This should take about 10 minutes. Add coconut milk, about 1/2 cup (120 ml) water and give it a stir. Add cayenne powder and half of lemon juice. Add salt and continue cooking for about 5 more minutes. Drop the pan-fried fish cubes and continue cooking for 10 more minutes. Taste for salt and add any if required. Switch off the heat once done. While serving, garnish with fresh chopped cilantro on top and drizzle more lemon juice, if you want.
Enjoy and happy Friday!
More information | Playful Cooking
Photography | Kankana Saxena