Goan Fish and Shrimp Curry
I went to a Good Food and Wine show last weekend and got enticed to buying some pre-mixed curry powder mixes. On reflection, they work out pricey compared to me spending 5 minutes pulling my spices out....but the family that makes the curry powder were at the stand and we liked their philosophy of life.
I guess it makes for a "No Worries" kinda curry making.
Instructions were on the back of the packet, which I didn't follow to the letter.
My starting ingredients:
There was sufficient curry powder in the packet for 2 batches of curry. I only used half the amount, which means there's a repeat of this meal in the near future. I also 'cheated' with the ginger and garlic. We've taken to having minced ginger and garlic in our fridge as well as the fresh stuff. Whenever I feel lazy, I just pull the jars out of the fridge. Saves me a bit of chopping time.
I mixed the curry powder with about ½ cup water; rather than the full cup.
I did go with the onion and tomato suggested on the packet. But I like seeing vegetable chunks in my curry; so I did a half diced, half sliced version of onion and tomato. I also added green beans and pulled some curry leaves off the plant in my garden.
You may also note that I have a jar of tamarind paste in the picture. The recipe calls for lemon juice; but traditional Goan curries use tamarind juice. I'm sure lemon juice would have worked just as well. I happened to have tamarind in my fridge and I used 1 tablespoon of the paste and mixed it up with some water (this is where the other ½ cup of water got used). I will say that I was a little too heavy handed with the tamarind. Next time, I'll use less.
My proteins - snapper and shrimp (or prawns as we call them in Australia).
I heated vegetable oil and a little ghee in the pot.
Fry the diced onion until translucent (took me about 3 - 4 minutes).
Add the ginger and garlic to the pan and fry for a minute. I know the recipe says to mix it with the curry paste but I was taught to fry ginger and garlic before adding the curry paste.
Add the diced tomato and fry for 2 - 3 minutes.
I added the curry paste at this point and fried for a further 2 - 3 minutes. Stir constantly as you dont want to burn the curry paste.
At this point, I added the onion slices, the tamarind juice and curry leaves.
Cook for a further 2 - 3 minutes.
Add the coconut milk to the pot and stir until well mixed.
Transfer the rest of the vegetables to the pot, bring to the boil and then simmer for 3 - 5 minutes.
Season with salt (about 1 teaspoon) and sugar (about 1 teaspoon).
Increase to a medium/high heat and add the fish. I put in the thicker pieces first and let it cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
I then added the thinner pieces of fish and let it cook for a further 1 - 2 minutes.
Add the shrimp at the end. They take about 2 - 3 minutes to cook.
When the shrimp are cooked, serve with some rice. My dinner!
She also got a slew of shots and of course she cried and cried. She's been fussy this afternoon but an early bedtime will help. Hooray for a healthy girl!
