Fragrant Fish Curry

I’d like to make a shout out to my wonderful aunt and uncle, who gave me some freshly caught and filleted kahawai. When my uncle asked if I’d be making a Peranakan dish, an idea blossomed . . .

Thus, this curry was born. After my amazing experience with Food Playground in Singapore, my view of curry-making forever changed. Cornflour? Forget it. I didn’t have any candlenuts on hand – a natural thickening agent used in Southeast Asia – but cashews are the perfect substitute. They lend creaminess to the coconut-scented sauce, which is heady with fennel, cardamom, and sweetly spicy ginger.

                   

I garnished my curry with extra chilli (again, a homegrown gift from my aunt!) and celery leaves. You could absolutely use coriander, if that’s your thing! On that note, please serve this with normal rice if you’re not worried about carbohydrates. I made simple cauliflower rice: place your desired amount of cauliflower (florets only, please!) in a food processor, blitz until crumbed, and microwave until tender. Easy.

This recipe can be gluten-free, grain-free, egg-free, and dairy-free.

Serves 3

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

 

– 2 teaspoons coriander seeds

– 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

– 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

– 3 cardamom pods

– 1 small red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped

– 1 teaspoon sliced lemongrass

– 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger (I mean an average-sized thumb here)

– 2 cloves garlic

– 8 cashew nuts

– 1 Tablespoon coconut oil

– 1 brown onion, peeled and finely diced

– 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

– 1/2 teaspoon ground galangal

– 1 – 1 1/2 cups boiling water (depending on the size of your pot)

– 450 grams kahawai fillets

– 1/2 cup thick coconut milk (I like “Ayam” brand)

– salt and stevia, to season

– cauliflower (or other) rice, to serve

Method:

1. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the coriander, cumin, fennel and cardamom until powdery. Add the chilli, lemongrass and ginger, crushing until fine. Finally, add the garlic and cashews and pound until the paste is the texture of smooth peanut butter. Do not get lazy here.

2. Heat the coconut oil over a low heat in a large saucepan or pot. Add the onion and cook until softening, then mix in the spice paste. Continue cooking over a low heat, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes. This may seem like a long time – you must careful not to burn the paste, so add extra oil or water if necessary – but it really is worth the wait for developing flavour.

3. Slice the kahawai into pieces around 3 x 4 cm in size. Add 1/2 cup of boiling water to the saucepan and mix well, then pop in the fish. Add as much boiling water as is necessary to cover the fish, then simmer until just cooked. Pour in coconut cream and season with salt and stevia, to taste. Serve immediately, and enjoy! 🙂