A yellow mildly spiced coconut milk curry flavoured with fish. This gravy needs some extra effort and care when preparing. If done right, it is absolutely heavenly. Served with rice, you will definitely go for a second helping. Ideal for young children and those who are not accustomed to eating spicy foods.
Any firm-fleshed white fish or prawns can be used. The fish is cleaned and seasoned with salt. Fresh grated coconut is ground with spices and warm water. Thick and thin coconut milk is extracted from the ground paste. Sliced onions are sautéed in oil, the thin coconut milk is added first, simmered, followed by the addition of fish. Cooked on low heat till the fish is cooked through. Finally, the thick coconut milk along with green chillies are added, simmered only for a couple of minutes and taken off the heat. Care should be taken not to boil the gravy or else it will curdle. This curry is out of this world and hence, it is heavenly. It is rich and creamy with a perfect balance of sweetness from the coconut milk, a hint of sour from the tamarind along with the delicious flavour from the spices and fish.
To prevent the gravy from curdling, a teaspoon of raw rice or poppy seeds are ground to give the curry some texture. I did not add either of the two but prepared the dish with extra care by simmering it on low heat. For a vegetarian version, fish can be substituted with vegetables like bottle gourd, pumpkin, breadfruit, kohlrabi or turnip, radish, cabbage and french beans. Recipes for mild curry of white pumpkin and green beans can be viewed by clicking the respective links.
Any firm-fleshed white fish or prawns can be used. The fish is cleaned and seasoned with salt. Fresh grated coconut is ground with spices and warm water. Thick and thin coconut milk is extracted from the ground paste. Sliced onions are sautéed in oil, the thin coconut milk is added first, simmered, followed by the addition of fish. Cooked on low heat till the fish is cooked through. Finally, the thick coconut milk along with green chillies are added, simmered only for a couple of minutes and taken off the heat. Care should be taken not to boil the gravy or else it will curdle. This curry is out of this world and hence, it is heavenly. It is rich and creamy with a perfect balance of sweetness from the coconut milk, a hint of sour from the tamarind along with the delicious flavour from the spices and fish.
To prevent the gravy from curdling, a teaspoon of raw rice or poppy seeds are ground to give the curry some texture. I did not add either of the two but prepared the dish with extra care by simmering it on low heat. For a vegetarian version, fish can be substituted with vegetables like bottle gourd, pumpkin, breadfruit, kohlrabi or turnip, radish, cabbage and french beans. Recipes for mild curry of white pumpkin and green beans can be viewed by clicking the respective links.
Caldinho De Peixe (Mild Fish Curry)
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
2 lb or 1 kg pomfret, kingfish or firm-fleshed white fish
1 onion (sliced)
2 long green chillies (slit)
1/2 a bouillon cube
a pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons of oil
salt
(To be ground)
1 1/2 cups fresh grated coconut
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 large cloves of garlic
8 peppercorns
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick (1.5")
a small ball of tamarind
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 1/2 cups warm water (1 cup for thick and 1 1/2 cups for thin milk extractions)
Method:
Cut off tail and fins of the fish. Remove innards and discard. Slice into pieces, wash and season with salt.
Grind the coconut and spices coarsely with one cup of warm water. Extract thick milk using a sieve and keep aside.
Now to extract thin milk, added another one-and-a-half cups of warm water and run the ground paste again in the blender. Extract thin milk in a separate bowl using a sieve.
(For easy milk extractions, first use a wide sieve. When pouring the coconut milk into the pan, strain again through a tea strainer with a fine mesh.)
Heat oil in a pan and fry onion till translucent. Add the thin milk extract and on low heat, bring to a simmer. Then add the fish along with green chillies, bouillon cube and sugar. Do not stir gravy after you add fish, just swirl the pan. Continue to cook on low heat for three minutes and then add thick coconut milk. Simmer only for a couple of minutes and check for seasoning. (Do not boil or else the gravy will curdle.) Remove from heat.
Serve caldine with steaming hot rice and a vegetable side dish.
Note:
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
2 lb or 1 kg pomfret, kingfish or firm-fleshed white fish
1 onion (sliced)
2 long green chillies (slit)
1/2 a bouillon cube
a pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons of oil
salt
(To be ground)
1 1/2 cups fresh grated coconut
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 large cloves of garlic
8 peppercorns
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick (1.5")
a small ball of tamarind
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 1/2 cups warm water (1 cup for thick and 1 1/2 cups for thin milk extractions)
Method:
Cut off tail and fins of the fish. Remove innards and discard. Slice into pieces, wash and season with salt.
Grind the coconut and spices coarsely with one cup of warm water. Extract thick milk using a sieve and keep aside.
Now to extract thin milk, added another one-and-a-half cups of warm water and run the ground paste again in the blender. Extract thin milk in a separate bowl using a sieve.
(For easy milk extractions, first use a wide sieve. When pouring the coconut milk into the pan, strain again through a tea strainer with a fine mesh.)
Heat oil in a pan and fry onion till translucent. Add the thin milk extract and on low heat, bring to a simmer. Then add the fish along with green chillies, bouillon cube and sugar. Do not stir gravy after you add fish, just swirl the pan. Continue to cook on low heat for three minutes and then add thick coconut milk. Simmer only for a couple of minutes and check for seasoning. (Do not boil or else the gravy will curdle.) Remove from heat.
Serve caldine with steaming hot rice and a vegetable side dish.
Note:
- Do not boil gravy after adding thick coconut milk as it will curdle.
- This gravy is simmered on very low heat.