This dish might not look nice to the eye but wow.

This regional dish from the southern region of Kerala is synonymous with the area due to fresh fish and spices and yes this dish certainly does have a nice kick from the spices. I did hold back with the chilli powder as I was nervous that it might overpower the delicate fish. With that in mind and how hungry I was I used a fraction of the chilli powder you would normally use.

I used Basa fish fillets for this dish. The reason ?? Two large fillets were only £2.40 from Sainsburys on my way home. I’ve had Basa fillets so many times. A cheap white fish which an amazing alternative to the overfished cod & haddock. Basa are also a native fish of Asia so thought they would marry up quite nicely. The fish flakes up beautifully. I cooked it whole to prevent it becoming lost within the dish.

The dish itself uses only a few ingredients which is why it’s a popular dish in the region of Kerala which makes it a cheap dish. If I portioned it cost wise Jamie Oliver is at the minute for the TV whilst sat in his £5 million pound mansion I think this dish would come under £2 each!! Sadly I’m not sat in a mansion so the cost means more to me!

Ingredients – heaped tbsp of ginger paste, 6 cloves of garlic, 1 1/2 tsp of fennel seeds, 4 tbsp of vegetable oil, 3/4 tsp cumin seeds, 3/4 tsp of mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp of fenugreek powder, 1 onion finely diced, salt to taste, 12 curry leaves, 1/2 tsp of chilli powder (but I used 1/4 if that) 1 tsp of ground coriander, 1 tsp of garam masala, 2 green chillies cut in half, 3/4 tsp of tamarind paste, fish and 300ml of water.

Method – add the ginger paste, garlic cloves, fennel seeds and 100ml of the water to a blender and blitz.

Heat the vegetable oil. Once the oil has become hot add the cumin & mustard seeds. As they sizzle and pop add the fenugreek for 20 seconds and mixing well.

Add the chopped onions and cook until they have a nice colour.

Once the onions have cooked nicely, add the curry leaves, garam masala, coriander, chilli powder, green chillies along with the paste mixture and cook this out for 20 minutes to reduce the paste to almost become a dry mixture. I added a bit more water towards the end as I didn’t want it to dry.

Cooking this for 20 minutes allows all the flavours to come together. Add the tamarind paste stirring well followed by the remaining 200ml of water. I then lay the Basa fillets on top of the sauce to poach them in the spices.

Allow this to cook for 5/6 minutes. The sauce will reduce but retains so much flavour.

I served mine with steamed basmati rice and shop bought nann bread.

Thank you for taking the trouble to read my post and ramblings.