Fish Head Curry

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Malay/English



We usually eat fish curry 5 to 7 times a month. Yesterday my mom and Ichah (my 7 years old niece) and my brother went to night market and bought a spanish mackerel fish head. Ichah was the one asking her grandmother to buy the mackerel as she wants my mom to cook her favourite fish soup. So my mom bought 1 slice of mackerel for Ichah and mackerel fish head for us. So when her aunt found the mackerel fish head this morning she went and cook fish head curry.

This is a recipe which I always use to cook thin fish curry (fish curry that used little coconut milk). This fish curry recipe is the one I obtained from trial and errors and combination of recipes which I got from here, here and here. Those recipes are all good and delicious, but I made some changes and combinations to suit my family's taste and also based on the ingredients I already have at home.

There is another fish curry that I always make, I call it Kelantanese fish curry. It is a bit different in flavor and is richer and thicker. I love both versions of fish curry. This version is refreshing and lighter. Usually, if the fish that I have at home is mackerel, I cook it by using this recipe but if the fish is tuna I often cook it with Kelantanese recipe.

Ready in 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 300 gram fish head (slice or split the head into two equal parts)
  • 1/4 tablespoon turmeric powder for marinating fish
  • 1 teaspoon salt for marinating fish
  • 7 shallots
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1/3 cup tomato puree or 1/2 fresh matured tomato diced or blended
  • 3 bird eye chili paste
  • 1 tablespoon chili paste or 3 dried chili made into paste
  • Curry leaves
  • 2 tablespoon fish curry mix powder
  • 1/3 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 1/3 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/3 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 5 tablespoon cooking oil
  • Tamarind juice from 1 tablespoon tamarind.
  • 5 lady's finger
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 cup diluted coconut milk (from 5 tablespoon thick coconut milk)
  • Salt and sugar to taste

Method
  • Marinate fish with turmeric powder and salt. Set aside.
  • Pound the shallots and garlic. You can also use food processor to make the paste or mince them. 
  • Pound the bird eye into a paste or mince them. 
  • Heat cooking oil in a pot. Add in fenugreek, cumin and mustard seed and cook for 30 seconds.
  • Add in shallot and garlic and cook until a bit golden and aromatic. Add  tomato and bird eye chili. Add in also chili paste.
  • After the paste became soft and aromatic add in curry mix and curry leaves and stir well. Make sure the curry mix does not burnt. 
  • After 1 minute add in tamarind juice.
  • Add in fish.
  • After about five minutes add in coconut milk and water.
  • When the curry boils add in lady's finger.
  • Add in salt and sugar to taste.
  • When lady's fingers are a bit tender and changed to fresh green color turn off the heat.


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