My neighbour, Auntie Hameedah, was an Indian Muslim. She was a very jovial person, and loved to chat. She also had a strong spirit about her, and opened up her own Indian Muslim restaurant specialising in Fish Head Curry, a delicacy in Malaysia. Auntie Hameedah shared her recipe with my Mum, who in turn, taught me how to make it.
When the pandemic hit and I started to feel home sick, I decided to cook some of these “old favourites” from memory. The most challenging part was when I discovered I didn’t have ready-made curry powder, and had to make my own based on the ingredients I found online from a brand I used to buy back in Malaysia. Relying solely on my olfactory senses and memory, I concocted the spice mix and recreated the fish curry of my childhood.
Auntie Hameedah passed away many years ago, and I am grateful she shared her recipe with us. I hope to make her proud by sharing this recipe with you, and that you will enjoy it too!
Makes: 5 portions
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 5 shallots, sliced thinly
- Garlic, 2 cloves, pounded to a paste
- Ginger, 1 inch, pounded to a paste
- Peanut/rice bran/avocado oil, 5 tbsp
- Mixed Fenugreek Spice (fenugreek, fennel, mustard seed, cumin and urad dal), 2 tsps
- Cinnamon bark, 1 (about 3-4 inches)
- Star anise, 2
- Cloves, 2
- Mel’s Fish Curry Powder, 3-4 tbsps
- Chili Powder – 2 tsps (for extra heat, optional)
- Okra, 10 pcs
- 2 whole ripe tomatoes, quartered
- Curry leaves, 10 leaves
- Coriander leaves, 1 cup, chopped
- 1 eggplant, cut into thick batons (optional, some people hate eggplant!)
- 2lbs white fish steaks – use bass, rockfish (firm meat) or canned mackerel (if you like the taste of mackerel)
- Tofu (optional, extra protein for anyone who doesn’t want fish)
- Water, approximately 3 -5 cups to cover the fish
- Salt to taste (between 3 tsps to 1 tbsp)
- Tamarind paste, 1 tbsp diluted in 4 tbsp of water
Mel’s Fish Curry Powder Mix – makes about 1/2 cup of spice mix
- Ground Coriander, 1 tbsp
- Chilli Powder, 1 tbsp
- Cumin, 3/4 tsp
- Turmeric, 2 tbsps
- Fennel, 1/2 tsp – pounded to powder
- Fenugreek, ¼ tsp – pounded to powder
- Ground Black Pepper, ½ tsp
- Ground White Pepper, ½ tsp
- Salt, 1 tsp
Method
- Prepare the curry powder, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and mixed fenugreek spice.
- In a big pot, heat the oil then add cinnamon, star anise and cloves. Saute for 1 minute, and add mixed fenugreek spice. Saute on medium to low heat to allow spices to bloom, do not burn the spices.
- Once the mustard seeds crackle and pop, and spices start to bloom, add garlic and ginger paste and shallots. Saute until softened.
- Add curry powder mix and additional chili powder (optional), and continue to saute to allow the spice mix to bloom. Stir continuously, so the paste doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Add 1 cup of water, stirring so it becomes a slightly slurry paste. Add tomatoes. Continue to saute for another 2-3 mins, then add the rest of the water.
- Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the fish. DO NOT STIR THE POT VIGOROUSLY AFTER ADDING FISH. You only need to gently stir the fish in, ensuring it is submerged and covered in the curry. If needed, add a little bit more water.
- Allow the fish to gently simmer for 15-20 mins so it is cooked through. Add okra and eggplant, and simmer for 10-15 mins to cook them. You can also add the tofu at this point.
- Add tamarind water (not the paste), stir in and taste. It should add a mild tanginess to the curry but should not be overly tart.
- Add salt to taste, and stir in curry leaves and coriander leaves. Simmer for 2 mins, then taste.
IMPORTANT NOTES WHEN COOKING FISH CURRY
DO NOT STIR THE FISH VIGOROUSLY WHEN INTRODUCING TO THE POT: I cannot emphasize this enough; the surface of the fish has a compound that gives off a fishy smell and agitating the pot when the fish is introduced is going to make the whole curry fishy. You can mitigate this by washing the fish with a solution of lime juice and water if you want to prior to cooking.
TOFU: Do not overcook tofu. The coagulant used in commercial tofu has an off-taste, and if you introduce it too soon or boil it too much it can affect the flavours slightly.
Chili powder: I used Kashmiri Chili Powder, which is considered low heat. It’s pretty spicy to me, so I would be cautious about how much chili powder to advice putting into this mix, which is why I have given the option to add more if you want increase the heat.
Melcontentious 