Spicy Fish Curry with Coconut Milk

Meena has her own formulas in making fish curry. She does not stick to conventional type curries, rather tries fusion of two or more, to come out with something entirely new. She says, ultimately the spices, tamarind and coconut make any seafood curry delicious. This spicy fish curry, which is a fusion of Goan and Mangalorean style of fish curries, is also one such formula which tastes too good.

We had few steaks of Anjal(Surmai or Seer Fish) with which she made this curry. You may try with any good fleshy fish available, but preferably try with sea fish. Sea fish taste very good in this curry. Essentially boiled red rice and ay fried fish and a glass of cold buttermilk complete the meal. Please use coconut oil while making fish curry, as it blends well with seafood, imparting a fine aroma. Chillies, coconut milk and salt maybe adjusted according to your taste.

Ingredients:
Any Fleshy Fish - 500 Gms
Red Long Byadgi or Kashmiri Chillies - 6
Red Short Ramnadu Chillies - 6
Coriander Seeds - 1 Tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 Tsp
Fenugreek(Methi) Seeds - 1/4 Tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Caraway Seeds(Ajwain/Oama) - A pinch
Tamarind - Chickpea size ball
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 4-6 flakes
Onion - 1 big
Tomato - 1 big
Coconut Milk - 2 cups
Coconut Oil - 4 Tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Green Chillies - 3-4 slit lengthwise
Salt - 3/4 Tsp or to taste

Method:
Dry roast chillies, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and ajwain.
Heat 1/2 Tsp oil and fry ginger, garlic, chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, until raw smell disappears.
Grind the roasted and fried ingredients along with tamarind into a fine paste.
Heat 2 tsp oil in a thick bottom pan and fry curry leaves followed by green chillies.
Add the masala paste and fry until oil leaves the sides.
Turn the flame to medium, and add salt, coconut milk, 1 cup water and bring to a boil.
Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the gravy thickens a little.
Place the fish in the gravy, cover and allow to simmer for 5 mins.
When the fish has cooked, pour remaining oil on top.
Serve with boiled red rice and fried fish.

Goan Prawn Curry

Goan seafood curries are pungent, full of aroma of freshly ground spices. Coconut/coconut milk is essential in making most of the Goan seafood curries. Goans also add kokum abundantly in curries, but the amount of kokum if added in excess, makes the curry too tangy. Other alternatives are traditionally adding tamarind or with the Portuguese favourite vinegar.

Goan Prawn curry is one such exotic dish, mostly relished with steamed rice. Similar masala is also used in making Goan fish curry. Goans call prawn curry with added coconut milk as 'Rosachi Kadi'. Here, rosu is coconut milk. 

I have tasted at least 3 kinds of Goan seafood curries. Though the ingredients vary from North to South Goa, main ingredients remain the same. Some add grated coconut masala as base to make prwan curry but many add just coconut milk to the ground spices. We have made Goan Prawn Curry twice so far. Both the times, we followed different recipes. 

First was Rosachi Kadi that we made following recipe from Femina magazine in the Nineties. In that, grated coconut is ground along with spices and then milk is extracted and prawns are cooked in that extract. The one presented here contains coconut based masala as well as added coconut milk. 

The pungency of the masalas, the tang of tamarind and the sweetness of coconut makes this curry very delicious. Prawns retain their tenderness when cooked in coconut milk. I recommend coconut oil for frying the masalas, because coconut blends well with coconut oil and seafood gets that heavenly aroma and taste when cooked with coconut oil. I have roasted the ingredients and also added some fenugreek(methi) seeds for better flavour, like we Mangaloreans do with other seafood curries.

Now is the season for prawns, and we got fresh big white prawns from the KFDC outlet near our home. You can also make it with shrimp, but big prawns are recommended. Don't forget to make boiled red rice and some fried fish or dry shrimp chutney to complete the meal. Choice of 'pick me up's can vary from Goan Feni to Kerala Kallu. In this recipe, I have given an easy method of making Kallu(coconut toddy) at home. 

Ingredients:

For marination:
Whole Big Prawns - 500 Gms
Turmeric Powder - 3/4 Tsp
Table salt - 1/3 Tsp(or to taste)

For the Masala paste:
Red Long(Byadgi or Kashmiri) Chillies - 5
Red Short Chillies(Ramnadu) - 3-4
Peppercorns - 1/2 Tsp 
Coriander Seeds - 4 Tsp 
Fenugreek(Methi) Seeds - 1/4 Tsp 
Grated Coconut - 1 cup, preferably fresh
Ginger - 1/2 Inch 
Garlic - 6 Cloves
Onion - 1 small, chopped
Tamarind - Chickpea size ball(or diluted vinegar 1 Tbsp)
Rock Salt - 1/2 Tsp(or table salt 1/3 tsp)
Thin Coconut Milk(or water) - 1 Cup or more

For the curry:
Coconut Oil - 2 Tbsp 
Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig
Onion - 1 small, chopped
Green Chillies - 2-3 cut diagonally
Thick Coconut milk - 2 Cups or 400 Ml 
Coriander Leaves(Optional) - A handful Chopped 

Method:
Shell, devein and wash prawns, drain and keep aside.
Marinate prawns with 1/4 tsp salt and turmeric powder for 15-30 mins.
Dry roast red chillies, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, peppercorns until a nice aroma emanates.
Grind along with grated coconut, ginger, garlic, one chopped small onion, tamarind and rock salt into a fine paste, using 1/2 cup(100 ml) thin coconut milk or water.
Heat oil in a wide mouthed earthen pot or saucepan.
Add curry leaves followed by one chopped small onion, and saute until onion turns golden.
Add the marinated prawns and fry until prawns are opaque.
Now add the ground masala paste and fry for 2 mins.
Add remaining thin coconut milk, green chillies, mix gently and cook for 3 mins on medium flame.
If you want the gravy thin, add more thin coconut milk or water.
Reduce the flame to sim and add coconut milk, stir well, check for salt and simmer for 2-3 mins.
Garnish with optional chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with steamed rice and fried fish.

Note:
Don't add thick coconut milk while the curry is boiling.
Don't boil the curry after adding the coconut milk.
Maintain low flame until coconut milk blends with the curry.
You can garnish the curry with chopped coriander leaves, but I prefer it as it is.

Prawn Balchao

Christmas spirit lingers on, with yet another Goan Dish. This dish is complimentary to the Goan Poi bread that we presented the other day on Garam Tawa.

A popular traditional Goan dish, Balchao is hot sweet and pungent in taste. It has a prime place in Goan cuisine. Martin's shack off Miramar beach in Panjim used to serve the best Prawn Balchao in the Nineties before the authorities closed down the shack. Now there's a world famous Martin's Corner at Salcette Goa but I don't know if it belongs to the same people. 

Whatever, I am very fond of Prawn Balchao and Pomfret Recheado, both made with similar masala. Later in the Nineties, I watched Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor's Khaana Khazana program on TV and made it first. This recipe is sourced from Sanjeev Kapoor's website, as published in his Konkan Cookbook. This is best savoured with Goan Poi bread and of course with a pick me up like fine Goan Fenny, cocktails or mocktails. 

Ingredients:
Prawns (medium) shelled and headless - 600 Gms
Salt - To taste
Ginger - 2" piece roughly chopped 
Garlic - 15-20 Cloves roughly chopped 
Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp
Dried Red Chillies - 12-15 
Cloves - 10-12 
Cinnamon - 2" stick
Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp
Malt Vinegar - 1 Cup
Oil - 3/4 Cup
Onions - 2 big finely chopped
Tomatoes - 4 big chopped 
Sugar - 2 Tbsp

Method:
De-vein the prawns. Wash thoroughly and remove excess water. 
Add salt and keep aside. 
Grind the ginger, garlic, cumin seeds, red chillies, cloves, cinnamon and mustard seeds along with vinegar into a fine paste.
Heat the oil in a non stick pan and sauté the prawns till all the moisture dries up. 
Drain the prawns and set aside. 
In the same oil sauté the onions till they turn soft and light brown.
Add the tomatoes and sauté on high heat till they turn pulpy and the oil surfaces. 
Add the ground masala and sauté for two to three minutes. 
Add the sugar and prawns.
Check the seasoning and cook on low heat for five to seven minutes more or till the oil leaves the masala.
Sprinkle little water if you want the masala to be slightly more moist(This is my addition).
Once almost dry, transfer to a serving dish. 
Serve hot with Goan Poi bread/Paav or with boiled rice.

Recipe courtesy: http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/recipe/Prawn-Balchao-Konkan-Cookbook.html 

Note: The same Balchao masala paste is used to make Pomfret Recheado.