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Fijian-Style Fish Curry with Pickled Onions & Crispy Curry Leaves

Servings 4

Ingredients

Pickled Onion 

  • 1 red onion cut in half & thinly sliced
  • 2 tsp vinegar

Rice

  • 150 g brown rice

Curry Leaves

  • 1 bunch curry leaves leaves picked
  • 1 tsp oil

Fish Curry

  • 3 tomatoes diced 1cm
  • 400 g pumpkin peeled & diced
  • 100 g baby spinach roughly chopped
  • 600 g market fish diced 3cm
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 3 tso garam masala
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
  • 400 ml lite coconut milk
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • ½ cup boiling water

To Serve

  • pinch chilli flakes optional

Instructions

Before you start

  • Bring a full kettle to the boil. Bring a large pot of water to the boil.

Prep & make pickled onion

  • Thinly slice red onion. Add to a small bowl and toss together with vinegar and a pinch of salt. Set aside to pickle and toss occasionally. Drain before serving.

Cook rice

  • Add rice to pot of boiling water. Bring back to the boil and cook rice (ensuring a rapid boil) for about 20 minutes, or until grains are tender. Drain well through a sieve.

Meanwhile, prep curry leaves & fish curry

  • Pick curry leaves. Dice tomato and pumpkin. Roughly chop spinach. Pat fish dry and remove any remaining scales or bones. Cut fish into 3cm pieces and set aside separately.

Cook curry leaves

  • Heat oil in a deep large frypan on medium heat. Fry curry leaves for 1 minute, stirring, until crispy. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside to serve. Reserve frypan.

Cook fish curry

  • Return reserved frypan (with lid) to medium heat with oil and add cumin, turmeric, garam masala, cinnamon, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, yellow mustard seeds and tomatoes. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add pumpkin, coconut milk, chicken stock and water measure. Cook covered, for 5-6 minutes or until pumpkin is tender.

Finish curry

  • Add fish to curry, ensuring it is submerged. Cover with a lid, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes, (depending on thickness) or until just cooked through. Do not boil fish and stir gently once or twice. Turn heat off, stir through spinach until wilted and season to taste with salt.

Serve

  • Rice with fish curry and topped with pickled red onion, crispy curry leaves and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.