WEEKNIGHT CURRY + Homemade: Curry Paste
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 cm ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- chilli to taste (optional)
- 2 teaspoons ghee, clarified butter or oil
- 400 g can chopped tomatoes - I used a jar of home-preserved slow-roasted tomatoes
- ½ cup water
- 500 g white-fleshed fish, cooked chicken, combination of vegetables and chickpeas/tofu
- ½ cup coconut cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
- Make the curry paste (increase the quantities to freeze extra into portions). Place the onion, garlic, ginger, spices and salt in a food processor and blend into a rough paste – add a splash of oil if needed to loosen the mixture.
- Heat the ghee or oil in a large frying pan over moderate heat. Add the curry paste and cook for 8-10 minutes until golden and fragrant. Turn the heat down if the paste catches on the base of the pan. Add the chopped tomatoes and water and cook until the tomatoes are pulpy and the sauce has thickened. About 10 minutes.
- Add the fish and coconut cream and continue to cook over moderate heat for about 10 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Stir through the lemon juice and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately with cardamom rice, fiery carrot & mint chutney and lemon wedges.
Notes
Cardamom Rice
While sauteeing the curry paste prepare the rice. Wash 1 cup white basmati or jasmine rice in a sieve then tip into a saucepan. Add 1½ cups water plus 3 cardamom pods, cover with a tight-fitting lid and bring to a boil. As soon as the rice boils turn down the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, leaving the lid on to steam for a further 10 minutes. Add a knob of butter and fluff with a spoon.