A good curry can be hard to beat.
Sometimes restaurant versions can be oily and a little heavy, so we’ve designed this Malaysian Style Fish Curry to be light and clean, while the coconut milk gives it a lovely touch of richness.
All the ingredients are pretty common pantry staples (in an Australian kitchen anyway) except for the curry leaves, which I have growing in the garden, but they are available from good green grocers.
The fennel in the spice mix marries very well with fish, however, you could leave it out and use the sauce with poultry or meat or even vegetables.
To speed up the process and save on washing up, try finely chopping the ginger, garlic and chilli in the food processor then adding roughly chunked onion and pulsing until chopped. While this mixture is frying, use the unwashed food processor to puree the tinned tomatoes.
The cherry tomatoes are a tasty and visually appealing addition but are very optional so leave them out if you don’t have any.
I like to make a double batch, portion it, and store it in the freezer for a very quick curry fix any time.
Rosie
QUICK MALAYSIAN STYLE FISH CURRY
Serves 4 as a main course with rice or 8 as part of a shared meal
The Sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large or 2 small onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
80 gm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 birds eye chilli, finely chopped
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground fennel
15 fresh curry leaves
1 425ml tin peeled whole tomatoes, pureed
125 gm cherry tomatoes
200 ml coconut cream
125 ml water
120 gm shelled peas, freshly cooked or frozen
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onions, garlic, ginger and chilli until the onion is just beginning to colour.
Add the ground turmeric, cumin, coriander, fennel and the curry leaves and fry for 1 minute. Add the pureed tomatoes and coconut milk along with the water and cherry tomatoes and simmer until the mixture is thick and pulpy. Season to taste. Add the peas and take off the heat until ready to add the fish.
The Fish
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 pinches salt
450 gm white fleshed fish fillets
Vegetable oil
Coriander leaves and sliced green onions for garnish
Combine the turmeric and salt in a sturdy plastic bag. Add the fish fillets and, holding the top of the plastic bag tightly closed, gently toss about until the fish is well coated.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the fish in batches until just browned. Remove and set aside until all the fish has been done.
Warm the sauce.
Gently transfer the fish to the sauce and simmer until the fish is just cooked. The timing will depend on the size of the fillets. Spoon the sauce over the fish as it cooks.
Serve with steamed rice and garnish with coriander leaves and sliced green onions.