Goan Fish Curry

Goan fish curry

Goan food is a feast for the eyes and the soul as we discovered on our travels to India in 2011. Eating in a restaurant alongside the palm trees and white sand, surrounded by shop fronts where you can select your fish and cooking style, made for a culinary treat difficult to emulate at home.
The warmth of the welcome and the hearty food marry together in a delicious bowl served on a low beach table and help you forget any troubles as you dig into a bowl of coconut, ginger and tamarindy goodness!



Tamarind is an unfamiliar ingredient to many and adds a tartness to Asian dishes which we can't replicate. The blend of spices used in this curry are cooler than some of the other curries we sampled, but were by far my favourite. Fish curry is not something I had ever really thought of attempting, but the eye opening truth is that fish is best served curried! You do need to choose a thick more robust fish if you hold a hope of there being any chunks in your dish unless you can get the cooking time just right. I used cod in mine and it worked well even if it is not so exotic.

Goan Fish Curry

Ingredients

600g white fish cut into even sized chunks
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves of crushed garlic
1 thumb sized chunk of diced fresh ginger
2 green chillies thinly sliced
1/2 tsp turmeric
4 cloves
2 tbsp tamarind paste
a small handful of curry leaves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of grated nutmeg
1 large can coconut milk

4 opened cardamon pods
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp mustard seeds

Method

1. Lightly fry the onion in a little oil on a moderate heat until they become translucent. Add the crushed garlic and fry for a further minute.
2. Meanwhile, open the cardamon pods and crush all the seeds in a pestle and mortar. Add to a dry heated pan and cook until the spices become aromatic.
3. Add all the toasted and other spices to the onion along with the coconut milk including the tamarind and curry leaves. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to a simmer for around 10 minutes or until thickened. You can begin to cook your rice after the heat has been reduced for around 5 minutes.
4. Poach the fish in the reduced sauce for 5 minutes or so, while your rice is finishing up.