For all its simplicity, this Southern Indian dish is surprisingly good. Please hunt down fresh curry leaves from an Asian specialty store, where they are often kept in the fridge. While curries often taste better the next day, I’ve fast-tracked things by cooking the sauce and then setting it aside for a short while for the flavours to develop. And they really do. Then all you do is poach the fish in the sauce (or ‘gravy’, as they refer to it in India), then sit back and enjoy with a golden ale.
Ingredients
- 2 fl oz/¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 30–36 curry leaves left on stem
- 4 red Asian onions or spring onions (scallions) finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 5 cm (2 inch) chunk fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 firm white fish fillets about 200 g (7 oz) each skin on
- steamed basmati rice to serve
How to Make It
- Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Add the mustard seeds, allowing them to pop in the hot oil for a few seconds. Now add the curry leaves, onion, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for a couple of minutes, or until the onion has softened and the mixture is aromatic.
- Add the chilli powder, coriander, turmeric and fenugreek and stir-fry for no longer than 1 minute. The ground spices will combine to a thick paste and become aromatic. Avoid burning the spices.
- Stir in 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) water and the salt. Bring to the boil for 2–3 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside for about 1 hour, to allow the flavours to develop.
- Return the pan to high heat and bring the sauce to the boil. Lay the fish in the pan, skin side down. Reduce the heat to medium, so the sauce comes back to a simmer, spooning some of the sauce over the fish pieces.
- Cover the pan and cook for 5–6 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through. Serve with steamed basmati rice.