Keralan Fish Curry Food

TRAYBAKED KERALAN FISH CURRY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/gas 3.
• Peel and finely slice the onions, garlic and ginger, then deseed and finely slice the chillies. Pick the coriander leaves, finely chopping the stalks, and deseed and slice the peppers.
• Put your largest roasting tray on the hob over a medium heat, and drizzle in 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the spices and curry leaves and fry for 2 minutes, then add the chopped veg, garlic and coriander stalks. Cook for 15 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally.
• Place the salmon into the tray, skin-side down. Season with sea salt and black pepper, and drizzle lightly with oil. After 1 minute, carefully turn the salmon skin-side up, then place the tray in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the salmon is almost cooked through.
• Quarter the tomatoes, and run the tip of a knife down the backs of the prawns and pull out the vein, meaning they'll butterfly as they cook.
• Remove the tray from the oven and preheat the grill to full whack. Carefully peel the skin off the salmon and place onto a piece of tin foil.
• Stir the tomatoes, prawns and coconut milk into the tray, then finely grate over the zest from 1 lemon and squeeze over the juice. Gently simmer on the hob over a medium-low heat until the prawns are just cooked through.
• Place the salmon skin under the grill for 5 minutes, or until lovely and crisp, then leave to cool.
• Break the salmon into big chunks. Season the sauce to taste with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, then snap up and scatter over the crispy salmon skin.
• Sprinkle over the coriander leaves and serve with lots of lemon wedges for squeezing over.

KERALAN FISH CURRY

Steps:

• Peel and finely slice the shallots, garlic and ginger. Trim and finely slice the chilli. Cut the fish into chunks.
• Heat a lug of groundnut oil in a large pan, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and cook until the seeds start to pop.
• Add the shallot, garlic, ginger and chilli, 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.
• Pick, chop and scatter over the coriander leaves. Delicious served with basmati rice and warm naan bread.

KERALA PRAWN CURRY

Steps:

• In a food processor, blitz the chillies, onion and ginger with 3 tbsp water into a smoothish paste - you may need to scrape it down the sides.
• Heat the oil in a heavy pan or wok. When hot, toss in the mustard and fenugreek seeds, and curry leaves - they'll crackle and pop - and fry for 10 seconds. Add the onion paste, turn the heat down a tad and cook without colouring for about 5 minutes. Splash in some water if it starts to catch.
• Add the turmeric and cracked peppercorns and stir the spices around for a few seconds before tipping in the prawns. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer, stirring all the time. The milk will take on a yellow colour from the turmeric. Cook for 1 minute until everything's heated through. Squeeze over some lime, sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve with rice.

KERALAN HAKE CURRY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat the oil in a shallow casserole dish (or ovenproof frying pan with a lid) over a medium heat. Add the onion, coriander stalks, ginger and peppers, and cook gently with the lid on for 15 mins until softened and beginning to brown. Turn up the heat, stir through the spices and cook for 1 min more until aromatic.
• Tip in the tomatoes and pour in the coconut milk. Bring to a bubble, then put in the oven with the lid on for 20 mins. Remove from the oven and nestle the hake on the sauce. Return to the oven, uncovered, for a further 10-15 mins or until the hake is cooked through. Season to taste, scatter with the coriander leaves and serve with rice or naan to mop up the sauce.