Fish Curry
A delightful fish curry made with onions, tomatoes, coconuts, spices, and herbs. This curry would work well with other proteins as well, but especially for fish because of its lighter, more vibrant flavor profile. Fairly straightforward to make as long as you have a good blender and infinitely scalable; would definitely recommend giving it a try!
Active Time: 40 min
Total Time: 45 min
Ingredients
"marinade" the fish:
> fish (1.5 lb, cut into large-ish pieces)
> ginger (1 tsp, grated)
> garlic (1 clove, finely minced)
> turmeric (1/4 tsp)
> red chili powder (1/2 tsp)
> salt (1/4 tsp)
making the curry:
> onion (2 small or 1 large, thinly sliced)
> cumin seeds (1/2 tsp)
> ginger (1 tsp, grated)
> garlic (2 cloves, finely minced)
> tomato (2 small, diced)
> salt (1/2 tsp)
> grated coconut (2 tbsp)
> fennel seeds (1/2 tsp)
> red chili powder (1 tsp)
> turmeric (1/4 tsp)
> green chili (1, finely chopped)
> garam masala (1.5 tsp)
> curry powder (1.5 tsp)
> cilantro
Instructions
1. Cut the fish into relatively large pieces. Marinade the fish by combining fish, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chili powder, and salt.
2. Sear the fish over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until they become slightly golden on bth sides.
3. In the same pot, saute onion and cumin seeds over medium heat until slightly golden, about ~10 minutes. Add ginger and garlic, saute for ~30 seconds. Add tomato and salt, and saute until soft and mushy, about 5-10 minutes. Add coconut, fennel seeds, red chili powder, and turmeric, and cook for a few more minutes.
4. Remove the tomato-onion mixture from the heat, let cool slightly, and blend until smooth (with ~2-4 tbsp of water).
5. In the same pot, add green chili, tomato-onion paste, garam masala, curry paste, and ~1 cup of water (adjust depending on the consistency). Mix well.
6. Add the fish back in and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for ~5-10 minutes, or until fish is fully cooked through.
7. Serve with basmati rice and top with chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> Any kind of fish works; I prefer a relatively robust, mild-flavored whitefish like catfish (cut into steaks) or tilapia (filets). In the picture, I used black bass, which I found a bit too oily and pungent for this dish. Bone-in or filets work, as long as you can cut them into relatively large pieces.
> A good blender makes a world of difference. I made this twice; first time with a crappy blender and second time with a powerful blender. The second time came out so much smoother and thicker.