SERVES 4
In Goa, this dish is a staple—people have a coconut-based fish curry like this one frequently, using whatever the fresh catch is, such as pomfret, mackerel, shrimp, and surmai, also known as kingfish. They also may add kokum to it, a fruit indigenous to India that is dried and added to dishes for its sweet and sour notes and as a cooling agent.
The sauce should be a nice bright orange from the Kashmiri chilies. You can make this curry up to 2 days ahead (Steps 1 and 3), then, when you’re ready to serve it, marinate the fish (Step 2) for 15 minutes, bring the sauce to a boil, and proceed with Step 4.
CURRY BASE
1½ cups grated coconut, fresh or frozen
3 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic Paste
¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2¼ teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
5 Kashmiri Chilies
3 cups water
FISH
¾ kg of fish (pomfret, mackerel or surmai). You can also use shrimp
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
3 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons canola oil
½ medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
8-10 curry leaves
2 fresh green chilies, halved lengthwise
½ cup Tamarind Pulp
Plain Basmati Rice, for serving
1 MAKE THE CURRY BASE: In a blender, combine the coconut, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, Kashmiri chilies, and 3 cups of the water and puree on high for 10 minutes till you have a very smooth base for the gravy. Add more water if needed during pureeing.
2 MARINATE THE FISH: In a medium bowl, coat the fish with the turmeric, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate while you finish the curry.
3 In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the onion, curry leaves and green chilies and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tamarind pulp and curry base and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
4 Stir in the fish and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve hot with rice.
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