Recipes

14 December 2017 Malvani Fish Curry - Black Pomfret Main Course, Non-Veg

Malvani food is basically coconut+onion curries with Malvani masala. This masala has a distinct flavour which is not very very spicy but at the same time it’s not very mild. Masala is made with red chilies, coriander seeds and other whole garam masalas. Malvani cuisine is mainly non-vegetarian but their vegetarian entrees are tasty too. Many people think that Malvani cuisine is same as goan cuisine but it is NOT the same. Its similar in the way that we use coconut a lot (in every form: dry, fresh, ground, etc.) but other than that its different since the masala used is very different.

Ingredients
8-10 Portions of black pomfret
10 Kokam, rinsed & soaked in 1/4 cup of warm water
4 Red chillies (dried)
4 Kashmiri chillies
5 Onions - chopped finely (part will be required for the masala, part for frying and a part for tempering
1/2 Cup grated fresh coconut
1 tsp Coriander seeds
3 Cloves of garlic crushed
1/ tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 Cup of oil - refined
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves (For Garnish)

Grind to a fine paste to make the masala from the:
Red chilies
Part of the onions
Cup fresh coconut
Kashmiri chilies
Coriander seeds
Cloves of garlic
Turmeric powder

Method
1. Clean and rinse the fish. Apply salt and turmeric powder evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or till ready to use.
2. Grind the masala to a fine paste.
3. Heat oil. Cook a part of the chopped onions till soft.
4. Add the earlier ground masala and water to achieve the required consistency -Should not be watery - but still be thick.
5. As the liquid starts to boil, stir gently.
6. Just before the boiling point, add the fish pieces gently. Add salt to taste.
6. Bring to boil. Poke the fish with a fork to check if done.
7. Let it simmer.
8. Add soaked kokum along with water while its simmering.

For Tempering
Heat some oil. Once hot add the balance of the chopped onions. Let the onions sizzle - and pour the tempered oil on to the curry. Add coriander leaves.

Serve hot preferably over hot rice.

Note -
1. Kashimiri chilies are added to get the bright red color.
2. Fish takes just a few minutes to cook - so do not over boil, else the fish will crumble apart.

By Suhas B. Naik-Satam,
Programme Coordinator (Scientific) at Nehru Planetarium of Nehru Centre Mumbai. He belongs to Malvan region of Maharashtra and amateur cook.