When a family member starts a request with, “I never ask you for anything, buuut…” it means they want me to make something I don’t like, or something that will take forever to make. I knew it was a BIG DEAL when my partner made that preamble, because he doesn’t make requests, EVER. (Yes, he is pretty good, not like the first one.)
“Can you, please, make salmon curry for Shabbat (Friday night) dinner?"
Salmon? Did he say salmon? I really don’t like salmon, you don’t understand people, I DO NOT LIKE SALMON! I do not like it, on a ship, I do not like it in a dip I do not like it here or there, I do not like it anywhere, I do not like it anytime. That’s what ran through my head (can you tell I work with children?). But I didn’t say that, I just said, “Yes, of course darling, done!"
I have to confess I have never made fish curry so I looked at my homemade curry recipes which are composed of a combination of a million other curry recipes, I picked the ingredients that I thought would go well together and crossed my fingers…
This turned out so delicious and bursting with flavour, you don’t need coconut milk. Even I liked it. I served it with rice noodles. Granted I didn’t take big helpings of the salmon but I ATE the curry!! People you have to give this a go. Even if fish isn’t your dish.
**Please note**
This dish is gluten free, and if you are vegan, omit the fish and it makes a delicious vegetable curry served with rice or noodles
Ingredients:
800g fresh salmon, skin off, deboned and cut into squares
Curry paste
2 long red chilies
6 cloves garlic peeled
1tablespoon fish sauce
1 bunch coriander (leaves only)
45g fresh ginger grated
1 medium size red ripe tomato
½ red onion or 1 small onion
1-2 tablespoon water if you need to smooth the paste
Curry
1 ½ teaspoons mustard seeds
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin
3 ½ cups vegetable stock
Juice of one lemon
6 lime leaves
Salt according to taste
Vegetables of your choice (I used sweet potato, mushrooms, broccoli, baby corn)
Method
Curry paste
Using a handheld blender, combine all the curry-paste ingredients into a smooth paste and set a side.
Curry
Pour oil into a big pot, just enough to cover the bottom (2 teaspoons), fry mustard seeds and curry leaves until mustard seeds start to pop.
Stir in spices for a minute. Add the fish and stir for another minute. Add paste and vegetables and stir until well combined, add stock and cook fish curry until almost cooked, roughly 15 minutes, turn stove off as fish will continue to cook.
Serve with rice or noodles!
Have a happy, healthy week in the kitchen,
Love,
Nava.
PS - I love hearing from you! Let me know how it went and feel free to spread the word/passion/love, the more the merrier!
