750g(1.7lb)firm white fishcut into chunks, eg: cod, cod cheeks, haddock, basa, monkfish, monkfish cheeks
400g(14oz)tin light coconut milk
400g(14oz)tin chopped tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few sprigs of fresh corianderleaves only, chopped
To serve (optional):
basmati rice
naan bread
poppadom crisps
mango chutney
Instructions
Heat the groundnut oil in a large saucepan on a high heat, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and cook until the seeds start to pop (about 1 to 2 minutes).
Add the shallot, garlic, chilli and ginger, and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes, or until softened.
Mix the chilli powder and turmeric together with a splash of water, and stir into the pan. Fry for 1 minute, then add the fish, coconut milk and tomatoes.
Season, bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked and the sauce has reduced.
Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves and serve with your choice of optional sides.
Notes
Make ahead – the curry can easily be made ahead a couple of days and kept in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to reheat it on the hob.
Green chilli – when reducing the recipe to make it for the 2 of us, I used a small green finger chilli and left the seeds in. I was expecting it to make the curry pretty hot, along with the hot chilli powder, but the end result was a nice heat that was full of flavour.
This keralan fish curry recipe is easily adapted if you’re cooking for less or more people – when I made it the first time, I divided the ingredients by 3 and used 250g cod cheeks, to feed the 2 of us.