Bengali fish curry
Summary Not available
- 2 fillets (scales removed but skin on)
- 1 tsp sea salt (plus extra to season)
- cayenne pepper
- 2.5 tsp mustard powder
- black pepper
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 mustard seeds
- mustard seeds
- cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion (finely sliced)
- 2 long green chillies (stalk trimmed and cut in half without deseeding)
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 tsp ground turmeric
- 5 tsp garam masala
- ripe tomatoes (roughly chopped)
- 150g/5.5oz rice (cooked according to packet instructions)
Cut the fish fillets into roughly 7cm/3in wide strips
Put in a bowl and toss with the salt, cayenne pepper, half a teaspoon of the mustard powder and lots of freshly ground black pepper
Mix the remaining mustard powder with 300ml/10fl oz water, adding it gradually and stirring constantly until you have thin yellow liquid
Set aside
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the fish over a high heat, skin-side down for a minute, or until the skin begins to crisp
Carefully turn over and cook on the other side for a further minute
Take the fish out of the pan and put on a plate
(Don’t let the fish get crowded in the pan or they will be difficult to turn
If your pan isn’t large enough, cook the fish in two batches instead
It’s nice to have the skin on the fish but you can easily remove it after frying if you prefer
) As soon as the fish is cooked, return the pan to the heat and add both the mustard seeds and cumin seeds
Cook for a few seconds, stirring constantly
Add the sliced onion, chillies and bay leaf
Cook for about five minutes, stirring constantly, until the onion is softened and pale golden-brown
Make sure you cook with the extractor on full-speed as the spices could make you sneeze! Sprinkle over the turmeric and garam masala, add the chopped tomatoes and cook for two minutes more, stirring constantly
Stir in the reserved mustard liquid and bring to a simmer
Cook for three minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the volume of liquid has reduced by approximately one-third
The spices should have mellowed and the sauce should coat the back of a spoon
Return the fish to the pan and warm through in the bubbling sauce for two minutes until hot
Serve immediately with rice
No extra notes