Recipe- Easy To Make Goan Fish Curry

This fish curry comes to you by way of Goa, a little pocket of Indian paradise that’s all about the sun, surf, sand and excellent seafood! With a deeply aromatic tomato and coconut based sauce, Goan Fish Curry calls for a good handful of spices but once you start cooking, it’s done in 20 minutes.

Ingredients

Curry paste:

2 1/2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp fenugreek powder
3/8 tsp ground cloves
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tbsp tamarind puree
1/2 red onion, chopped
6 tbsp water (plus more, as needed)

Curry:

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 red onion, cut in half again (like a quartered orange) and thinly sliced
1 tbsp tomato paste
2/3 cup canned tomato pulp / polp (Mutti), OR tomato passata or crushed tomato)
2/3 cup water
400ml/ 14oz coconut milk, full fat
1 1/4 tsp salt, cooking/kosher (or 3/4 tsp fine table salt)
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp chilli powder
2 long green chillies, cut into half lengthwise and deseeded, optional
1 tomato, cut into 8 wedges then into 2.5cm / 1" chunks
600g / 1.2 lb firm-fleshed white fish, cut into 3cm / 1.25" cubes

Garnishes / serving:

1/4 cup fresh coriander/cilantro leaves
Finely sliced green chillies, optional
Basmati rice

Method

Curry Paste:

- Place Curry Paste ingredients in a tall jug or milkshake container (something that fits the head of a blender stick) then blitz on high for 5 to 10 seconds until the onion is pureed. Add more water if needed to make it puree.

Curry:

- Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add black mustard seeds and let them sizzle for 30 seconds - careful, they might pop!

- Add red onion and cook for 3 minutes until edges start to tinge with gold.

- Add curry paste and cook for 3 minutes - to evaporate water, make spices bloom and cook garlic & ginger.

- Turn heat up to medium high. Add tomato paste and tomato pulp, cook for 2 minutes.

- Add water, coconut milk, sugar, salt and chilli powder if using. Stir, then bring to simmer, low heat so it's bubbling gently.

- Simmer for 2 minutes, add tomato and green chilli.

- Simmer for another 3 minutes, stirring every now and then - sauce should be thickened (not watery), it gets looser again when fish is added.

- Add fish, stir, cook for 3 to 4 minutes until fish easily flakes.

- Remove from stove and transfer to serving bowl.

- Garnish with coriander/cilantro and fresh green chillies if desired. Serve with basmati rice!