My mum is well known for her delicious Fish Curry. Her recipe comes from generations ago and still holds strong.
In this video, she shares her method of making this Fish Curry and shares some tips which make this curry so good. It's a simple fish curry that tastes absolutely delicious!
There's a wonderful balance of salty, spicy and citrus that makes this dish so popular. So if you love a curry and eat fish, definitely give this one a go! You'll be making it over & over again! ENJOY!
Gujarati Fish Curry Recipe Serves 3-4 People Cooking Time: 30 Minutes (Approx)
INGREDIENTS
4 Large Fillets Cod (600g)
1/2 tsp Salt for Cleaning Fish
5 Large Garlic Cloves
4-6 Green Chilis (Adjust toTaste)
1 x 400g Tomato Tin
1 TBSP Tomato Paste
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1/4 tsp Red Chili Powder
3 tsp Coriander-Cumin Powder
1 tsp Whole Peppercorn (to be crushed)
2 TBSP Oil for Marinade
1 1/2- 1 3/4 tsp Salt
2 TBSP Lemon Juice
1 TBSP Chickpea Flour (Besan)
4 TBSP (1/4 Cup) Oil for Curry
1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
Coriander for Garnishing
METHOD
For this curry, my mum always uses Cod fillets, but you can use Tilapia, Catfish or any other white fish that holds together well.
Make sure the skin and bones are removed from the fish. Cut it into fillets 1 1/2" to 2" big. You don't want small fillets as they may break easily while cooking.
Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp Salt over the fish and rub it all over the fish. Let this sit for 2-3 minutes. Then rinse off the Salt with cold water. Be gentle with the fillets so you don't break them. Then put them in a colander to drain completely.
Tip: If they feel wet, after draining, you can pat them dry with a paper towel.
Crush the tinned Tomatoes and keep aside.
Grind the Whole Peppercorns coarsely. Keep aside.
Grind the Garlic and Chilis and place in a bowl.
To the Garlic and Chilis, add 1/4 tsp Turmeric,1/4 tsp Chili Powder, 3 tsp Coriander-Cumin Powder, coarsely ground Peppercorn, 2 TBSP Oil, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4tsp Salt and 2 TBSP Lemon Juice. Mix the masala paste and taste it to see if you need to add anything.
Note: This may seem like a lot of salt but this curry will need it. You can reduce it a little to start with if you wish and add more later.
Tip: If you want to have Fried Fish, follow the recipe up to here and then shallow fry the fillets in a very hot frying pan. You want the masala to 'burn' a little so that it is completely cooked and crisp...it makes the fried fish taste even better!!
Place most of this masala paste on the drained fish fillets and let them marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature, while you get the curry sauce going. Leave a little of the masala paste to add to the curry sauce.
Make a runny paste with 1 TBSP Chickpea Flour and water using your fingers to break up any lumps. Keep this aside.
Tip: This Chickpea slurry will help thicken the sauce and hold it together well. It also gives body to the flavour of the sauce.
Heat up a large, shallow pan on a medium heat.
Add 4TBPS Oil and let this heat up a little. Add 1/4tsp Fenugreek seeds and let them turn a little red, but DO NOT burn them. If you burn them, start over with the tempering.
Add the crushed tomatoes and stir this in. Cover and let this cook for a few minutes until it comes to a boil.
Once the tomatoes have come to a boil, add the remaining fish masala paste and the Chickpea slurry and 1 TBSP Tomato Paste and stir it in. The sauce will thicken with the Chickpea slurry so add enough water to the sauce to make it the consistency you like. Let this cook covered until the tomatoes are cooked (about 5-7 minutes).
Tip: Fish doesn't take long to cook, so let the sauce cook properly before adding the fish fillets. This helps prevent the sauce being undercooked.
Gently place the fish fillets into the sauce along with all the masala paste and carefully stir the sauce so that it covers the fish. Cover the pan and let the fish cook.
Give a gentle stir after about 5 minutes ensuring the fish is covered with the sauce. Let it cook again for another 5 minutes.
Once the fish is cooked, taste the sauce and see if you need to adjust any seasonings. If you add anything, let the curry cook for another minute or two.
Once the curry is done, turn off the heat and garnish with freshly chopped Coriander.
