RECIPE
When making a fish curry always use a firm-fleshed fish such as tuna, trevally or mackerel as I’ve used here. A white fish curry like this one is highly spiced but not too hot like a black curry. As a child in Sri Lanka, I progressed from no-heat kiri-hodi (coconut milk gravy) and dahl to this white Mustard Fish Curry as my enjoyment of spice and heat grew
Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 15 mins | Marinate: 10 min | Cooking Time: 15 mins | Skill: Easy
Ingredients
FOR THE MARINADE:
50g ginger paste
30g garlic paste
3 tsp raw curry powder
Lime juice (1 lime)
Salt
FOR THE CURRY:
500 g Spanish mackerel fillet
1 small white onion, chopped
100gms tomato, chopped
30gms garlic, chopped
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp black pepper corns cracked in a mortar and pestle
½ stalk of lemongrass, thinly sliced
2 sprig of curry leaves
1.5 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp raw curry powder
5 green chili, finely chopped
50 ml coconut oil
500ml coconut milk
½ tsp dill seeds
½ stick cinnamon broken up
salt
Method
Marinate the fish for 10 mins with ginger paste, garlic paste, curry powder, lime juice and salt while you make the curry.
Add vegetable oil to a pan on medium heat, followed by mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Once the mustard seeds start to crack add the onion, garlic, lemongrass and green chili and sauté for a few minutes. Add red chili powder, curry powder, turmeric powder and salt before adding the fish.
Quickly seal the fish and add coconut milk.
Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 5-minutes.
Remove from the heat and garnish with fried curry leaves.
The curry can be served with hot rice, sambal and poppadum.