Passport & Plate - Coconut Fish Curry
Tanzania | Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 4 photos
Ingredients
1. Tsp or tbsp oil (depending on how much fish being cooked)
2. Tsp mustard seeds
3. 6 to 8 fresh curry leaves (optional)
4. 1 fresh green chilli chopped (optional)
5. ½ or full tin tomatoes (depending on how much fish cooking) or 3 to 4 fresh tomatoes diced
6. Spices: Salt, chilli powder, dhania (coriander) powder, zeera (cumin) powder, garam masala, ginger powder
7. Fish – hake, Haddock, Cod or any white round fish cut in chunks
8. Lemon juice (half fresh lemon)
9. Water
10. Cream coconut (quarter of slab or so) (or Coconut milk with fresh grated coconut or desiccated coconut)
11. Fresh coriander to garnish
How to prepare this recipe1. Put oil in saucepan, heat a little and then add mustard seeds – close lid – and cook for a few seconds until mustard seeds start popping. Remove from heat. (Don’t burn seeds or else curry will taste bitter)
2. Add curry leaves, green chilli and tomatoes - put saucepan back on heat – cook for a few mins stirring frequently
3. Then add all the spices and cook the masala for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, add a little water if required, until forming a nice paste.
4. Add fish and add some water to barely cover fish(if frozen fish, then less water required) – bring to boil and then simmer until fish cooked (10 to 15 mins). (If using coconut milk, then add it instead of water and cook until thickens).
5. Turn off heat and add the lemon juice, stir and then add the shaved creamed coconut (or the freshly grated or desiccated coconut) and mix to allow coconut to melt.
6. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and serve with basmati rice cooked with green peas.
Enjoy!
The story behind this recipeHappy memories and fun times during our childhood days!
This is one of my favourite delicious dishes that my Mum used to cook for us in Tanzania, East Africa, especially since it is so easy and quick to prepare, when we were young. Especially after we had been for a picnic or outing and caught some fresh fish, we would come home tired but very happy and exhilarated, Mum would quickly whiz up this delicious meal within minutes. She would also cook this on special occasions when sharing the meal with our unexpected guests or visitors.
I have always enjoyed cooking and used to spend many hours cooking up all sorts of concoctions. In those happier days of no gadgets, TV's or toys - as kids, we would gather wild "spinach" , called majija in Swahili, pinch some onion, tomatoes and chillies from the garden and spices from Mum's stock, get an old used tin, make a small fire with twigs, and using a tree branch as a spoon, we would cook the majija and eat it with enormous gusto!
Since I became a "grown up" and went off to university, this was one of the recipes that always came in handy when entertaining my friends impromptu - as long as I had some frozen fish in the freezer, it was easy peasy, and they always loved it.
It is also one of the favourite dishes of my two children and their many friends, as well as my friends. Whenever I visit them - where ever in the world they may be - the first thing I am asked is "when are you making the coconut fish curry, as our friends want to make sure they are invited too?" The same applies when they are home. In fact, to celebrate my son’s graduation from University, we had fish curry on request – as the pictures show.
I thank my wonderful Mum, who turns 90 years in 11 days, on 15 March 2015, for passing on this recipe to me and giving me the wonderful gift of cooking and my late Dad, who loved entertaining and travelling. We were known as "Safari Children" and our love for travelling was borne from them!
Thank you!
