Coconut Fish Curry
 This is a very popular South-East Asian fish
curry in a coconut sauce. Choose a firm-textured fish so that the pieces
stay intact during the brief cooking process which uses the dry-frying
method. This dry-frying is a feature of Malay cooking that demands the
cook's close attention. The coconut must be constantly on the move so that
it becomes crisp and uniformly golden in color.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
500 g/1.25 lb firm-textured fish fillets,
skinned and cut into 2.5 cm/1 inch cubes
2.5 ml/0.5 teaspoon salt
50 g/2 oz desiccated (dry unsweetened
shredded) coconut
6 shallots or small onions, roughly chopped
6 blanched almonds
2-3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2.5 cm/1 inch piece fresh root ginger,
peeled and sliced
2 lemon grass stalks, trimmed
10 ml/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
45 ml/3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 x 400 ml/14 fl oz cans coconut milk
1-3 fresh red or green chilies, seeded and
sliced
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Fresh chives, to garnish
Boiled long grain rice, to serve
Method:
Spread out the pieces of fish in a shallow
dish and sprinkle them with the salt. Dry-fry the coconut in a wok over
medium to low heat, turning all the time until it is crisp and golden. Tip
the dry-fried coconut into a food processor and process until you have an
oily paste. Scrape into a bowl and reserve.
Add the shallots or onions, almonds, garlic
and ginger to the food processor. Cut off the lower 5 cm/2 in of the lemon
grass stalks, chop them roughly and add to the other ingredients in the
processor. Process the mixture to a paste. Bruise the remaining lemon
grass and set the stalks aside.
Add the ground turmeric to the mixture in
the processor and process briefly to mix. Heat the oil in the clean wok.
Add the onion mixture and cook for a few minutes without browning. Stir in
the coconut milk and bring to the boil, stirring constantly to prevent the
mixture from curdling.
Add the cubes of fish, most of the sliced
chilies and the bruised lemon grass stalks. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in
the coconut paste (moistened with some of the sauce if necessary) and cook
for a further 2-3 minutes only. Do not overcook the fish. Taste and adjust
the seasoning.
Remove the lemon grass stalks. Spoon the
fish on to a hot serving dish and sprinkle with the remaining slices of
chili. Garnish with chopped and whole chives and serve with boiled long
grain rice.
Happy Cooking,
Carol |
