Indian dishes can have endless ingredients but this light and spicy curry is a doddle
Serves 4
4 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 dried red Kashmiri chillies
2cm root ginger, peeled and finely grated
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large plum tomato, finely chopped
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
1 tbsp palm sugar, or soft light brown sugar
2 tsp tamarind paste
1 green chilli, deseeded
and finely sliced
500g firm white fish fillets, skinned, cut into 3cm chunks
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Thyme sprigs or chopped chives, to garnish
Lemon zest strips, to garnish
1 Toast the coriander and cumin seeds and dried chillies in a dry frying pan for about a minute. Crush in a pestle and mortar, then mix in the ginger, garlic, turmeric and 1 tsp salt.
2 Heat the oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat and fry the onion until soft and golden. Stir in the spice mix. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the tomato and cook until it is soft.
3 Add the coconut milk, sugar, tamarind and green chilli and bring to just under the boil. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes, until slightly thickened. Taste for seasoning.
4 Season the fish all over, then add it to the sauce and simmer for about four mins until cooked through. Add the coriander leaves and serve with rice.
Recipe from Simple by Diana Henry (Mitchell Beazley)
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