Fish Curry

Dinner tonight? Curry? Yes!

I can’t say I’ve visited many Asian countries nor can I even say I’ve eaten at that many authentic Asian restaurants. But I have tried a curry or two in my life and I know what I like in one. This recipe is a mix of everything I love about curry all rolled into one pan.

Curry is generally a combination of spices that originates from a variety of colors and flavors. You can buy red, yellow and green curry, just to name a few and each seems to be best appropriate for a certain type of dish. Yellow tends to be the most moderate of the curries and green the spiciest. Yellow curries get their bright yellow tone from turmeric, green from coriander and green chilies, and red from red chilies.

With all of these considerations, curries can be made more spicy or mild, depending on the curry base and how much heat is added in the form of chilies and peppers.

Like most of my recipes, this one starts and ends with the sauce. That rich, fragrant, warming Fish Curry sauce with hints of sweetness, delicate aroma of mint and coriander leaves and a decent kick of chili heat. It’s just barely thick enough to be like a creamy curry gravy but still saucy enough to make its way in and around every grain of rice. Perrrrfection.

Once you open up the lid of the pot, your senses will be intoxicated with layers of flavor and fragrance of this delicious and easy fish curry.

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh fish

1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped

1/2 chili or jalapeño pepper, chopped

1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped

1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

few pepper corns and cloves

1 tbsp Thai Peanut Saute Sauce

1/2 cup water

Spice Mix: 1 tsp red chili powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 2 tsp garam masala

salt to taste

oil for frying

lime wedges for garnish (optional)

Season the fish with salt and chili powder. Heat the pan with frying oil and deep fry the fish.

To prepare the curry paste, heat the oil in the pan, add sliced onions and saute until golden brown. Add tomatoes, garlic and the rest of the spices. Mix and saute for a few minutes. Then remove from the heat and blend. Run the mixture through the mesh to get the smooth paste and discard the rest.

Return the mixture into the pan, add peanut sauce, pepper corns, cloves, chili pepper and water. Mix well and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add fish pieces, chopped mint and coriander into the curry. Season if required.

Garnish with mint leaves and lime wedges and serve hot with steamed rice.