Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Madras Fish Curry : IHCC

"Comforting Curries" is our theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), where we are currently cooking from Madhur Jaffrey's recipes. Once again, I could not decide which curry recipe to choose from! Finally decided to cook this simple Madras Fish Curry since I already have two slices of mackerel fish in my freezer that I bought a couple of days before. 



This recipe uses 2 cans of canned tomatoes to be finely chopped. I used only 1 can of chopped tomatoes as I do not want the dish to be too sour and did not bother chopping them finely. The whole can goes into the saucepan as I figured after simmering for half an hour, the tomatoes should break down. Of course, the other ingredients, the spices, what is a curry without all the fragrant spices. 


At first I find that there is nothing special or spectacular to the sauce after I've cooked this dish. What I can taste is just a little sour, nothing much else!  So for me, this dish is a "so-so"! Maybe by using fresh ripe sweet tomatoes would be better. About an hour or so later, when my kids had their dinner, they were spooning for the sauce and keep on taking more of the sauce. I was rather surprised and thought that they would not like this dish. They loved it. Later when I ate the curry with some rice, I find that it tasted much better than earlier,  the flavours must  have blended when left for an hour or so, as most curry dishes do. Though it tastes so much better, I'm not in a hurry to cook this dish again. There are lots of other curry recipes that I'm eager to try!


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To view other delicious curries that my friends are cooking, do stop by IHCC.



Madras Fish Curry
(adapted from "Simple Indian Cookery" by Madhur Jaffrey)
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 in piece of fresh root ginger. chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive or groundnut oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
12 fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 canned tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1 teaspoon garam masala
3/4-1 teaspoon salt
200ml water
675gm fish
freshly ground black pepper

  1. Put the onion, garlic, ginger and vinegar in a blender or food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
  2. Put the oil in a large, wide pan, preferably non-stick, and set it over a medium-high heat. When it is very hot, put in the cumin, fennel and fenugreek seeds and let them sizzzle for 5 seconds.
  3. Quickly pour in the paste from the blender, using a rubber spatula to get it all out. Stir and fry it for 10-15 minutes, until it is golden brown.
  4. Add the ground coriander, cumin and turmeric and stir for a minute.
  5. Add the tomatoes, cayenne, garam masala, salt and lots of black pepper. Cook, stirring, for another 2-3 minutes.
  6. Stir in the water and bring to the boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and simmer very gently for 30 minutes.
  7. Add the fish in a single layer. Simmer gently, spooning the sauce over the fish, until it has just cooked through.




22 comments:

  1. The curry looks very appetizing. I dont think this type of curry is that spicy at all looking at the ingredients.

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  2. What a great way to enjoy curry; love your photo.
    Rita

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  3. wah, tis curry looked so delicious... i wldn't mind hving it for b/f now...:))

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  4. I love curry too, but curry with fish never cook before.. will try ur recipe a day. thanks o.

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  5. Joyce, looking at your pictures makes me wish I am having this for lunch! Look at that sauce, need more rice...

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  6. Ooo~ I enjoy any type of curry. I actually prefer fish curry to chicken :)

    Can have a big plate of rice with the curry alone.

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  7. Joyce,
    This is indeed a comforting curry. Looking at your curry I feel like having it for lunch now! Yum yum:)
    mui..^^

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  8. Wow, today's I'm early! This is the right dish to have today as the weather has suddenly dropped tremendously & it is wet too! Good to have some curry to warm our bodies, hahaha!

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  9. Joyce, the fish curry looks good! Love the thick gravy. I have never cooked fish curry before. An Indian friend of my mum's told us that fish curry tastes better the following day. Somehow we can't get used to the idea of eating the fish the next day.

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  10. I'm surprised you weren't so impressed with this dish as its such a wonderful combination of spices and flavours. Maybe making the sauce the day before, then reheating the next day & adding fish right at the end would enhance the flavour.

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  11. it even has red wine vinegar! i 've never tried using canned tomatoes too in curry..it's indian curry right? i will definately love that!

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  12. This is soo mouth watering!I kinda say that alot when I visit your blog! LOL Seriously I'm like drooling over the screen all the time! I LOVE Indian curries! Will try this recipe when I get hold of all the spices. hehehehehehe

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  13. eileen, hundred eighty degreedWednesday, November 14, 2012

    Colour. looks so good, it would make a satisfying meal: )

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  14. Mouthwatering curry! i am thinking some of steamed buns would be perfect for this curry.

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  15. What a delightful fish dish - so full of tantalizing flavor!

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  16. What a scrumptious dish , Joyce ! I just love the flavor of this curry :D The combination of all the ingredients in this dish must be awesome !

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  17. It looks good--the pictures and the list of ingredients. Sorry you weren't wowed by it. But at least the kids liked it, right?!

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  18. I'm very impressed to read that your kids liked this. My kiddos are so picky. I could never convince them to eat a curry. I think it looks delicious, but understand that you weren't wowed by it.

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  19. I always find that curries, like most stews, taste better the next day. Looks great!

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  20. I have never had fish in a curry. Have to try this one. Sounds delicious.

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