Kerala Fish Curry

📝 Ingredients

• 800 g frozen hake fillets (2 × 400 g bags)
• 1 tin coconut milk (400 ml)
• 2 tomatoes (about 120 g each)
• 1 large brown onion (about 150 g)
• 3 garlic cloves + 20 g fresh ginger
• 2 fresh red chillies
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric + 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 lime
• 280 g basmati rice
• 15 g fresh coriander
• Salt

🍴 Utensils

• Large sauté pan with lid
• Saucepan with lid
• Fine grater
• Kitchen knife
• Chopping board
• Colander

📖 Steps

1. Thaw the hake in the fridge the day before (or for 1 h in a sealed bag submerged in cold water). Pat it dry carefully with kitchen paper, cut it into 5 cm pieces, then rub with a pinch of salt and half the turmeric.
2. Rinse the rice in the sieve until the water runs almost clear. Cook it in 500 ml salted water: bring to the boil, cover and leave for 10 min over very low heat, then 5 min off the heat without lifting the lid.
3. Meanwhile, finely slice the onion, grate the garlic and ginger, cut the chillies into thin rings (deseed them for less heat) and dice the tomatoes. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling the chillies.
4. Heat the coconut oil in the sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the mustard seeds and cover: as soon as they start popping (about 30 s), add the onion and fry for 7 min over medium heat until golden.
5. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies and stir for 1 min, then the rest of the turmeric and the ground coriander for 30 s, stirring constantly so the spices don't burn. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 min until they have broken down.
6. Pour in the coconut milk, season with salt, stir and simmer for 5 min over medium-low heat, until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon.
7. Place the pieces of hake in the sauce and spoon the sauce over them. Cover and simmer for 8 min over low heat without stirring, or the fish will break up: it's done when it is white, opaque and flakes apart.
8. Off the heat, drizzle with the lime juice, taste and adjust the salt. Sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander and serve immediately with the basmati rice.