Fish Curry... in a Hurry!

One of many things I love about our Konkani culture is our love for fish!  It is one of the fastest proteins to cook and one of the most delicious because of how well it absorbs marinades and curries into the meat.  If you notice, half of my flickr cooking album is filled with fish dishes for that reason.  I have experimented with quite a few different recipes and methods of cooking fish:- baking, steaming and deep frying. Since I had never made a fish curry before, I thought I would give it a shot.

There are a variety of amazing Konkani fish curry and fry recipes that I have been fortunate enough to have grown up eating.  A majority of the curries involve a base of grated coconut and red chili peppers.  However, having grated coconut on hand is not easy in this country unless you are fortunate enough to live close to an Indian, ethnic or organic store like Whole Foods.  Since I was limited on resources and I had fish thawing in my fridge, I decided to follow my mother's advice and cook the fish Konkani style, but with a recipe that deviates entirely from using grated coconut.  The result was surprisingly easy and delicious:-

Onion Fish Curry

Ingredients:-

• 4 Fillets of any sort of "Flatfish" (I used Flounder, you can also use Tilapia or Halibut etc.)
• 2 Medium Onions - diced
• 3 Tsp Red Chilli Powder (you can also use dried red chillies)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp of Tamarind Paste or Freshly Soaked Tamarind
• 2 1/2 Tbsp of Tomato Paste
• 3-4 Cups of Water (change amount depending on how thick you want the sauce/curry)
• 1 Tbsp Salt (Please add little to start and adjust to taste)

Instructions:-

1. In a large skillet on medium heat, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil and sautee diced onions until they are translucent
2. Add the red chill powder next and mix with onions for about a minute.  If you are using dried whole red chillies, make sure you sautee them separately until they are dark in color and then add to the sauteed onions.
3. Add the 3-4 cups of water, tamarind paste/concoction and tomato paste to the sauteed onions and mix well untill all of the pastes have dissolved and the curry begins to bubble.
4. Add salt as needed.  Be sure to start with a little and increase the amount of salt if the curry/base is too sour.  Make sure all the ingredients have mixed well.
5. Add the fish fillets and be sure to place them in the skillet side to side (not on top  of each other) and cook the fish for about 6-8 minutes and turn off the heat once the fish is opaque and flakes.  Also a very important thing to note here is: Once you add the fillets you cannot use any utensils to mix the fish into the curry, because fish is very delicate and will break into the curry which is not desirable.  Use the handle(s) of the skillet and move it in circles, swirling the curry into the fish gently.
6. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving with rice or your choice of grain.

 
This is the same recipe I have used in the past for a Konkani dish called "Batata Song" which is the same foundation, except instead of fish we add boiled and cubed potatoes.  This dish tastes better the longer you store it in the fridge after cooking, giving the fish more time to absorb the flavors of the curry/base.  All in all this recipe took me about 25 minutes to make.  So if you're in a rush and want to serve up something easy yet exotic and delicious, I highly recommend this dish!