Goan fish curry
45 min · 33 g protein · 303 cals / serving
The coastal curry of Goa: big, tender flakes of white fish poached in a brick-red, tangy coconut sauce of chili, garlic, ginger, coriander and turmeric, sharpened with tamarind so it tastes bright rather than heavy. Okra and tomato simmer in it, cilantro goes on top, and rice soaks up the sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 thumb ginger, grated
- 1–2 green chili pepper, slit
- 1 tbsp paprika, or Kashmiri chili powder, for colour
- 1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1 can (14 oz) light coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp paste tamarind, or 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 lb frozen okra, fresh or frozen, trimmed and halved; or green beans
- 1 3/4 lb pacific cod, haddock, kingfish or pollock, in 5 cm (2-inch) chunks
To serve
- a handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Steps
- Heat the oil in a wide, deep pan over medium heat and fry the onion 8–10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic, ginger and chili and fry 1 minute.
- Stir in the paprika, chili powder, coriander, cumin and turmeric for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes, mashing, until they break down into a thick red paste.
- Pour in the coconut milk and water, add the tamarind, salt and okra and simmer 8 minutes until the okra is just tender. Taste: it should be tangy, salty and gently hot.
- Lay the fish in the sauce in one layer, spoon sauce over it, cover and simmer very gently 5–6 minutes, until it flakes and reads 145°F in the thickest piece. Shake the pan rather than stirring, so the fish stays in chunks.
- Scatter with cilantro and serve with rice.
Good to know
No tamarind?
Use 2 tablespoons of lime juice stirred in at the end; it's about the same score. Goan cooks also use kokum, a dried sour fruit, if you can find it.
Which fish is traditional?
Kingfish, pomfret or mackerel in Goa. Any firm white fish works; prawns are just as classic, need only 3 minutes and give about the same score.
Is okra slimy here?
Not in a tangy sauce: the acid from tamarind and tomato keeps it firm. Green beans are a good swap if you prefer, at about the same score.
Per
- Calories
- 58
- Protein
- (43%)
- 6 g
- Fat
- (34%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (23%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 154 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1213 kcal goes into the pot and 2290 g of ingredients comes out as about 2090 g of food: 58 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.