Sri Lankan Fish Curry

The beauty with fish is that it cooks in a flash, and in this curry it's both fast and fiery.

Ingredients

• 4 pieces firm white fish fillets (~180g each), such as mulloway or snapper
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 2 tsp fenugreek seeds, coarsely crushed
• 2 tsp white peppercorns, coarsely crushed
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
• 1 tsp brown mustard seeds, coarsely crushed
• 1 cinnamon quill
• 10 fresh curry leaves, plus extra sprigs to serve
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 long green chillies, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp ground chilli
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1½ tbsp tamarind purée
• 200 ml coconut milk
• Steamed basmati rice and coriander sprigs, to serve

Method

1. Combine fish, half the turmeric and ½ tsp salt in a bowl, mix to coat well and set aside.
2. Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add whole spices and curry leaves and stir until spices pop (1 minute). Add onion, garlic and green chilli and stir occasionally until tender (4–5 minutes).
3. Stir in ground spices and sauté until fragrant, then add tomato and cook until they begin to break down (2–3 minutes).
4. Add tamarind and 700 ml water, simmer until well flavoured (8–10 minutes), then add fish and coconut milk and simmer until just cooked through (4–5 minutes).
5. Season to taste and serve hot with steamed rice, scattered with extra curry leaves and coriander.