Ingredients
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp tumeric
- 4 T mustard oil*
- 1 kg thick fish fillets, cut into pieces about 8-10 cm square
- 4 onions, cut into wedges, separated into petals
- 1 T crushed garlic
- 2.5 cm fresh ginger, grated
- 1 mild chilli, cored and sliced
- 6 cardamom seeds, crushed
- 1 T mustard seeds
- 250 ml plain yoghurt
- 250 ml coconut milk
Bengali Fish Curry
Method
- Mix the salt and tumeric together and rub all over the fish
- Heat the oil in a pan or wok and fry the fish in small batches for a few minutes on each side until almost cooked
- Remove to a plate and keep warm
- Add the onions and stir-fry gently until soft and translucent
- Raise the heat and cook until lightly golden
- Add the garlic and ginger until the garlic is cooked but not browned
- Add the chilli, cardamom and mustard seeds and stir-fry gently until the mustard seeds pop
- Stir in the coconut milk and yoghurt, and heat gently without boiling
- Add the fish and simmer gently for about 5 minutes until the fish is cooked through
- Serve into 4 bowls, garnish with fresh coriander and toasted coconut thread and plenty of fluffy cooked rice
Comments
This curry is not for a faint-hearted fish - the spices need a strong flavoured, firm-fleshed fish like mullet, monkfish or cod.
* You can find mustard oil in the international aisle at the supermarket or the local Asian or Indian food market. If you can’t find any then use whatever oil you have (not olive oil) and add a few extra mustard seeds when you heat the oil.
Thanks to Harbour Fish and New Zealand Nut Producers (garlic) for providing the ingredients used in the demonstration.
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