Sour Fish Curry

It's no secret that I love curry - usually the creamier (and naughtier) the better! But when the weather is hot, I tend to find that too much cream can make me feel a bit queasy and sickly so this fish curry is light and fragrant thanks to coconut milk with a punch of sourness from the tamarind puree. However, if you have kids or a husband who are a bit fussy, then only use half of the tamarind puree.



Sour Fish Curry
Serves 4

3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 brown onions, halved then finely sliced
2-3 chillies (any colour), finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
5cm piece of ginger, grated
1 tspn black mustard seeds
1/2 tspn fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tspn ground turmeric
400mL coconut milk
5 roma tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp tamarind puree
4 firm fish fillets (I tend to use John dory or local Pilbara blue spot emperor)
Small bunch of coriander leaves (optional)

Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onions until they begin to turn translucent. Add in the chilli, garlic, ginger and mustard seeds and fry until you can hear the seeds begin to pop. Add the fenugreek seeds, ground coriander and turmeric. Stir the mixture well and fry for another 2 minutes. (If the spice mixture begins to look very dry, feel free to add a touch more oil.)

Add the coconut milk, tomatoes and tamarind puree. Bring the sauce to a rapid simmer for 4-5 minutes then turn the heat down to medium, add in the fish fillets and poach them for 3 minutes. Turn them, then leave them for another 3 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Season the curry well with salt and add the coriander if you're using it. Serve over steamed basmati rice.

Note: This curry would also work well with prawns.