Name: Kerala fish moilee
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 tsp ground turmeric; ½ lime juiced; 4 x 150g cod, monkfish or sea bass steaks or fillets; 60g white onion roughly chopped; 4cm piece of ginger roughly chopped; 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp brown mustard seeds; 5 green cardamom pods; 2 green chillies slit lengthways; 5-7 curry leaves; ½ tsp sugar; 400ml coconut milk; 1 heaped tsp of tamarind paste; 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves to garnish; cooked basmati rice

1 tsp ground turmeric
½ lime
juiced
4 x 150g cod, monkfish or sea bass steaks or fillets
60g white onion
roughly chopped
4cm piece of ginger
roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves
roughly chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
5 green cardamom pods
2 green chillies
slit lengthways
5-7 curry leaves
½ tsp sugar
400ml coconut milk
1 heaped tsp of tamarind paste
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
to garnish
cooked basmati rice

Method

step 1
Combine ½ tsp of the turmeric, a pinch of salt and the lime juice, and rub this into the fish steaks.
step 2
Put the onion, ginger, garlic and a splash of water in a blender, and whizz to a smooth, fine paste.
step 3
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed non-stick pan over a medium heat, add the mustard seeds and, as they begin to splutter, add the cardamom pods, chillies and curry leaves. Add the onion paste to the pan and fry for a few minutes.
step 4
Add the remaining turmeric, the sugar and a pinch of salt. Mix well, making sure it’s all incorporated, and cook for a minute. Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 mins, then add the fish and cook over a low heat, covered with a lid, for 4-5 mins until the fish is just cooked through but still moist. Give the pan a gentle swirl a couple of times to make sure it’s mixed and the fish pieces don’t break apart.
step 5
Add the tamarind, ½ tsp of freshly ground black pepper and the coriander, stir well and simmer for a minute. Serve with plain basmati rice.