Fish Curry - I

Hi - enclosing a quick posting of a mouth watering fish curry I tried out the other day.... with due credits to excellent Telephone Tech support from my good friend and fish expert Natasha D'souza....

Now - just a small footnote on why its so awesome.... cause even if you do not have the exact ingredients, no need to fret. This recipe is accomodating (just like me :-)) and will still deliver the goods!

ah now, lets get started

ya - obv you need fish; i chose Tilapia fillet. i used 6 fillet for the recipe. (fillet == less cleaning == easy to eat: my type of recipe)
red chillis
green chillis
tamarind paste
tomato puree
turmeric powder
chilli powder
cumin seeds
onions
ginger garlic paste
tandoori paste
pepper pods/powder
coconut milk
water



using a blender blend the following ingredients..

6 red chillis (kashmiri are preferred - i just used whatever was around)
1 chopped onion
3-4 tsp of chilli powder (spicy variety is preferred)
1 tsp of turmeric powder
2 tsp of cumin seeds
3-4 pods of pepper (i used garden variety pepper powder - no pepper - no problemos!)
1-2 tsp of tamarind juice (Natasha suggested squashing real tamarind and using the water - i use tamarind paste available at the Indian store)
some water to make the whole thing into an paste (no too watery mind you)... but limp gravy is not my type so i substituted water with tomato puree.
ok - so blend it all together until it becomes a paste

In a pot fry the onions (in oil - i like olive - but guess any variety like vegetable oil would do) with some ginger garlic paste ( i omitted the latter - didnt have any :-( ) until golden brown. I added some tandoori paste to the mix - cause i like the taste of that.... and some ghee (hydrogenated oil) for some flavor... (consider these as digressions of an idle mind)
when the onions are fried add some green chillis sliced lengthwise and fry the same. then add the paste and stir it all up.
when it starts bubbling a bit - check for saltiness - and add as much as required. add a little bit of water too - and make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot (no problems with finished product - but big problems with cleaning a burnt vessel!)
finally add coconut milk and mix well

15 minutes before serving add the fish (defrosted - cleaned in cold running water with a little salt to get rid of any remaining fishy odour)..... and voila you are good to go!!!!!

again - all credits to Natasha for giving me the basics....

try it out and enjoy