COCONUT KINGKLIP CURRY WITH CARDAMOM AND CURRY LEAVES

This delicious fish curry is mild and incredibly fragrant. Curry leaves and cardamom create all the magic. There simply isn’t a substitute for fresh curry leaves in my opinion, so if you can’t find them in a shop, ask around if anyone has a tree at home.

SERVES: 4

30ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil (I use canola)

2 onions, finely chopped

45ml (3 tbsp) finely grated/chopped fresh ginger 3 cloves garlic, finely grated/chopped

20 fresh curry leaves

30ml (2 tbsp) mild curry powder or roasted garam masala

Seeds from 6-8 cardamom pods, pounded with a pestle and mortar and husks removed 15ml (1 tbsp) ground fennel (barishap)

10ml (2 tsp) ground coriander

5ml (1 tsp) ground turmeric

2.5ml (½ tsp) chilli flakes (optional)

30ml (2 tbsp) tomato paste

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 x 400ml can coconut cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

800g-1 kg skinless boneless kingklip (or any firm white fish) fillets, cut into bite-size cubes

Cooked jasmine or basmati rice, for serving

Fresh coriander, for garnishing

Flaked almonds and/or black sesame seeds, as garnish

1 Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat and fry the onions until translucent (not brown). 2 Add the ginger, garlic and curry leaves, and fry for 1 minute. 3 Add the curry powder, cardamom, fennel, coriander, turmeric and chilli, then fry for another minute. The bottom of the pot will become quite dry at this point. Add the tomato paste and canned tomatoes and stir well. 4 Pour in the coconut cream, stir and bring to a simmer, turning down the heat. 5 Simmer for about 5 minutes, still stirring, then season well with salt and pepper. 6 Add the fish cubes, stirring gently to cover them in sauce. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. 7 Remove from the heat and serve in bowls with freshly cooked rice, all garnished with coriander leaves, flaked almonds and/or sesame seeds.

Notes:

* Order fresh or frozen fish such as kingklip via greenfish.co.za or the Abalobi app (depending on availability), and it will be delivered straight to your door.

* The husks of cardamom pods should be removed before serving as they are not pleasant to bite into.

* Curry leaves are not related to curry powder – they’re green leaves from the South Indian curry tree, with a distinctive lemongrass-like flavour.

The recipe seemed pretty straightforward with ingredients that are easily available at your local supermarket. What I didn’t bargain on was the dearth of leeks. It is apparently not leek season. I tried two fruit and veggie shops, one Spar and one Woolworths and eventually gave up the chase. Instead I used red onions and mushrooms. Also, I don’t like chewy spinach so I chose baby spinach instead. Other ingredients were simple and easy to find and the rump was an easy ask for my butcher. I didn’t specifically ask for a rump cap, just a kilogram of meat with a good layer of fat that would be ideal for roasting. Timings were perfect. Roast came out medium rare as I wanted it. The creamy sauce was a bit tart for my taste so I’ll use a semi-dry wine next time. I made the roast potatoes too, and they were the best roasties I’ve ever made. I give River Cottage Great Roasts a 10/10. Perfect for a Christmas gift or, better yet, get a copy for yourself to make your Christmas roast a little more special.