Kerala Fish Moilee
A classic fish curry with chilli, pepper, curry leaves, and turmeric simmered in coconut milk, this southern Indian fish curry is a staple in every household because it is so simple to cook
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- pinch of salt
- juice of ½ lime
- 600 g 1 lb 5 oz cod, monkfish or sea bass, cut into 3.5cm (1⅓ in) steaks
- 10 Large Prawns
- 60 g 2 oz white onion, roughly chopped
- 4 cm 1½ in ginger root, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 5 green cardamom pods whole
- 2 Prairie Fire Chillis chopped
- 5 –7 curry leaves
- 100 ml 3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup water
- ½ tsp sugar
- salt to taste
- 400 ml 13 fl oz/generous 1½ cups coconut milk
- 1 heaped tsp tamarind paste
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander cilantro leaves, to garnish
Instructions
- Mix ½ tsp of the ground turmeric, with the salt and lime juice and rub into the fish steaks, then set aside. Add the onion, ginger and garlic to a blender and blend to a smooth fine paste with a splash of water. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a heavy-based, non-stick saucepan over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and as they begin to sputter, work quickly to add the cardamom pods, green chillies and curry leaves.
- Add the onion, ginger and garlic paste and fry for 1–2 minutesm
- Add the remaining ground turmeric, along with the water, sugar and salt. Mix well, then simmer for 1 minute.
- Reduce the heat to low, then add the fish steaks and let them cook for a further minute. Add the coconut milk, cover and simmer gently for 4–5 minutes until the fish is moist and cooked through.
- Add the prawns. Give the pan a gentle swirl a couple of times to make sure everything is mixed but the fish pieces don’t break up.
- Add the tamarind, black pepper and fresh coriander and stir well, simmering for 1 minute. Serve with plain basmati rice and a cucumber salad.