Hindustan Times
The quickest, easiest Goan fish curry
Last week, I wrote out a recipe for a fish curry that combined ingredients from Kerala and Goa.
Since then, I’ve had many requests for a basic Goan fish-curry recipe. Here’s the quickest, easiest way to make a Goan fish curry at home.)
Cooking time: 10 minutes.
# Throw some crushed garlic—at least 15 small pods for half a kilo of fish—in oil that’s hot but not smoking. Gas: medium heat.
# When the garlic begins to brown, throw in 3 tsps of red chilli powder and half a tsp of turmeric. Stir for a minute
# Reduce heat and empty a can of coconut milk (freely available at any major grocery store, or use coconut powder. If you have the time, squeeze it fresh from grated coconut). Stir so that coconut milk takes on the colour of the spices.
# When curry starts to heat, add in a handful of kokum (INA market in Delhi, every market in Bombay, dunno where in Bangalore). Make sure the heat is low.
# Add half a kg of fresh fish (no need to marinate). Add salt. Shake the vessel to move the fish pieces around. Don’t poke around with a spoon.
It should be ready to eat in 6-7 minutes.
When I was a kid, my grandmother always tried to make me eat palak (spinach) by promising that her fantastic fish curry would follow. Maka naka! I don’t want it, was always my angry response. It didn’t work, most of the time. But as I grew older, I just stopped eating palak’. I do know. Actually, it’s the only vegetable I don’t mind eating today. Ironic.
For my grandmother—a simple, wonderful woman who was never educated but tried to teach herself to read, painstakingly reading alphabet by alphabet—there was none of this coconut-milk-in-a-can nonsense.
Her curries were tremendously more complex than my basic curry. Goan fish curries can get quite intricate, with lots of grinding and pounding of spices, onions and vinegars. But I don’t know many people who have the time and patience to run through these complexities. When I have more time, I’ll run you through some of the more difficult curries.
Until then, you can be assured this one will do very nicely. I just cooked it two days ago, and it was a hit. In the land of the blind …
(10 votes, average: 4.1 out of 5)
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For variety, try the Chettinad meen kuzhambu.
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Man, your grandma would be furious with you. I take shortcuts too, but this curry’s gotta take the cake! No after-tadka? We’re gonna have to call you quick-can murugan!
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
February 10th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
No need to tadka. Try it!
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All this talk of Goan food reminds me very much of solkadhi. I wish there was an easy way to make it with a tin of coconut milk.
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Sarita, see Anil’s recipe for Tiwal below. It’s not sol kadi but it’s as refreshing.
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Visiting your blog for the first time. Delicious.
-Riju
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
February 11th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Welcome Riju! Please contribute recipes from Jaipur.
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Riju Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Thanks. Lot of red chillies, a sinful amount of ghee and mutton. Continue stirring till you’re tired. Then have the stuff with bajre ka roti. A few pegs of rum before that and you’re battle-ready for… say… Padmini?
Jokes apart, will soon send you the recipe of ‘Panda’ Mutton… what the ‘domes’ have in Bihar after burning the dead.
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Dear Samar,
We make Tiwal at home. It is one of the quickest drinks from Kokum. Take one juicy kokum flake and keep it in 750 ml of water for 15 to 20 minutes. Decant the fluid. Add salt to taste, with a pinch of sugar. Take two GREEN CHILLI flakesand mix it well. Take it chilled.
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Anil, thanks much. I have drunk tiwal but I have never made it. I will now.
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Samar, got drawn to your blog like i would to a pot of fish curry….still salivate over your prawn curry and miss making my monday food pages!
since its fish we are talking about here – can’t help but give u a recipe for the bong fish curry. have u ever tried your hands on that?
grind mustard and poppy seeds (2:1 – more mustard if you want it pungent) with tumeric and salt.
chops lots and lots of onions and slit lots and lots of green chillies.
Mix the fish with the mustard paste in a stainless container (that you can shove into a pressure cooker), add the onions and chillies and pour mustard oil – generously enough.
Cover and steam it in the press cooker.
I know you’ve never held river water fish in high esteem, so give hilsa a miss and try king fish instead. I do that now.
There is also Mustard fish paste if you like – by a company called CookMe – readily available in the market too – try somewhere in Chittaranjan Park. I get a bagful of those every time i go to india
Tell me how you like it. I have variations of this recipe with prawns, coconut etc, can pass them on as well!
bon apetit
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
February 16th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Debanjana,
This is marvellous. I will try this as soon as I get back to Delhi next week. I’d rather go with you recipe than try CookMe. Thanks a lot, and, yes, I do want more!
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I am writing to you as the editor http://www.dadinani.com, where we are collecting a variety of Indian memories, including authentic grandmother recipes. I would like to post this or another recipe from you on our website in our format. The format includes a story about the recipe.
http://www.dadinani.com/capture-memories/read-contributions/dadi-nani-cooking
You can read about me at http://www.dadinani.com/about-the-book/editors
With regards.
Subodh Mathur
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
March 10th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Sure Subodh. And your website sounds most interesting. Will check it out.
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Samar, I was looking for a really quick caldeen curry, any suggestions?
thanks
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Awesome. wanna make it now. But kokum in sydney is an impossibility. cn i make it without the kokum? and no tamarind and coriander powder required?
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Hi Sameer,
I love to eat fish, however now i wish to cook it as well.
Could you suggest the best fishes to buy at INA market in Delhi for a novice like me. i would also request you to tell me how to marinate the fish and for how long.
I would probably try with your instant Goan Fish Curry recipe.
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I am in the USA. What do you mean by red chili powder ?
in the US, that is from mexican chilis. is that what you mean ?
also, what can is a good substitute for Kokum ? thanks
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This is the best post on this topic i have ever read. Well, it is time again this year, to find out what new benchmarks are possible in the best digital camera prices and models.
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Tried this curry today and turned out q well. thanks, it is a very simple recipe.
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