Chile Forum

Sorry to take so long to post it. I just sent my thesis off on Monday, and have been a little catatonic since. Feel free to write if there are any questions.

Fish Curry

2 tablespoons coriander seed
2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 large onion, quartered
4-6 garlic cloves
1 1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
4 large tomatoes
2 fresh long green chile peppers, stemmed, seeds and pith removed, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
5-7 cardomom pods, light crush with side of knife blade to partly open
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon Indian ground red pepper
Salt and ground white pepper, to taste
1-2 cup plain yogurt
3 filets Blanquillo, sliced into 1 1/2 inch strips

Toast coriander and cumin seeds in a dry pan until lightly browned. This helps to release the aroma and oils. Remove and finely grind (pestle/mortar or coffee grinder; pre-ground may be substituted).

Place onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor and process until minced (this can be manually done as well). Heat oil over a medium heat, in a medium-sized pot (I use Le Creuset, #26, for even cooking and there is no interaction with the enamel and the tomatoes). Add cardamom pods and bay, stir for about half a minute. Add onions, garlic and ginger, and cook until onions look translucent and golden, stirring frequently to blend and prevent burning. Cook for about 6-8 minutes.

In the meantime, process tomatoes, peppers and cilantro together, until smooth. Add to pot and mix thoroughly. Cook until juices have evaporated and oil is separates (it will appear to float on top of mixture; about 8-10 minutes) Add garam masala, turmeric, ground red pepper, ground coriander and cumin, salt and pepper, one at a time, stirring in between each addition, to make sure that seasonings are properly distributed.

Reduce heat, and add yogurt. Mix thoroughly. Add fish and gently submerge the slices in the sauce. Increase heat to bring to just boiling, cover and turn heat down to low. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Serve with rice of your chocie.

Notes:

This dish can be prepared ahead and reheated. Fish can be substituted with shrimp, vegetables, or chicken (add cinnamon stick in with cardamom and bay). Also, any mild fish can be used.

Spiciness can be altered to taste. We actually prefer more pepper than listed, but this amount is usually at the top of what friends can tolerate. I usually serve additional yogurt at the table to diminish the heat. Also, I use red ground pepper from India, purchased in the U.S. The heat isn´t the same with other ground red peppers, but may be substitutes with whatever is available, or to even leave it out. Although I enjoy and prepare dishes from all over India, the southern spiciness is a particular favorite).

Be sure to use plain yogurt. Some yogurts that are marked as "natural," have sugar added. The brand, Quillayes, offers a good plain yogurt. Homemade may also be used.

A food processor make the work go faster, but is not absolutely necessary. The chopping and mincing may be done manually, which is traditional. Also, garlic and ginger are traditionally hand-ground together, with a pinch of salt. I´ve done it both ways, and there really isn´t a noticeable difference. Most of my Indian friends use processors. On the other hand, most make their garam masala fresh, and are often recipes passed down for generations. I use a pre-made mix (bought in U.S., but can be found here), because I haven´t found a resource for some of the ingredients in Chile.

Misspelled cardamom, and to mention that the brand, Oriental Productos, sells a line of Indian and Middle Eastern condiments and spices in Chile. Haven´t made it to Don Harry´s yet, so I´m not sure what´s available there... probably everything that I´ve been dragging back from the States.

I made something similar the other night... no recipe, but went something like this

1 Zappalo italiano,
hand full of mushrooms
1 aji verde
1 aji rojo
2 red bell peppers
1 green pepper
All Chopped,

half a jar of tika masala paste (the 4 luka one from the supermarket) mixed with two cans of cream (ligh)
packet of fish you choice cut to bite size pieces
mix all in dish,
put in dish in oven, high as it will go (my oven sucks)

choose some tv show you downloaded from the internet, watch tv for one hour,

Listo!, fish curry with great chile aftertaste and mouth burning, dont lick lips

wash hands after cooking 100 times,
dont touch eyes for 2 days after, (my bad, the red aji stings)

thanks so much for posting Eileen. I am going to try a non-fish version!

Eileen wrote:Sorry to take so long to post it. I just sent my thesis off on Monday, and have been a little catatonic since. Feel free to write if there are any questions.

Fish Curry

2 tablespoons coriander seed
2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 large onion, quartered
4-6 garlic cloves
1 1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
4 large tomatoes
2 fresh long green chile peppers, stemmed, seeds and pith removed, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
5-7 cardomom pods, light crush with side of knife blade to partly open
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon Indian ground red pepper
Salt and ground white pepper, to taste
1-2 cup plain yogurt
3 filets Blanquillo, sliced into 1 1/2 inch strips

Toast coriander and cumin seeds in a dry pan until lightly browned. This helps to release the aroma and oils. Remove and finely grind (pestle/mortar or coffee grinder; pre-ground may be substituted).

Place onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor and process until minced (this can be manually done as well). Heat oil over a medium heat, in a medium-sized pot (I use Le Creuset, #26, for even cooking and there is no interaction with the enamel and the tomatoes). Add cardamom pods and bay, stir for about half a minute. Add onions, garlic and ginger, and cook until onions look translucent and golden, stirring frequently to blend and prevent burning. Cook for about 6-8 minutes.

In the meantime, process tomatoes, peppers and cilantro together, until smooth. Add to pot and mix thoroughly. Cook until juices have evaporated and oil is separates (it will appear to float on top of mixture; about 8-10 minutes) Add garam masala, turmeric, ground red pepper, ground coriander and cumin, salt and pepper, one at a time, stirring in between each addition, to make sure that seasonings are properly distributed.

Reduce heat, and add yogurt. Mix thoroughly. Add fish and gently submerge the slices in the sauce. Increase heat to bring to just boiling, cover and turn heat down to low. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Serve with rice of your chocie.

Notes:

This dish can be prepared ahead and reheated. Fish can be substituted with shrimp, vegetables, or chicken (add cinnamon stick in with cardamom and bay). Also, any mild fish can be used.

Spiciness can be altered to taste. We actually prefer more pepper than listed, but this amount is usually at the top of what friends can tolerate. I usually serve additional yogurt at the table to diminish the heat. Also, I use red ground pepper from India, purchased in the U.S. The heat isn´t the same with other ground red peppers, but may be substitutes with whatever is available, or to even leave it out. Although I enjoy and prepare dishes from all over India, the southern spiciness is a particular favorite).

Be sure to use plain yogurt. Some yogurts that are marked as "natural," have sugar added. The brand, Quillayes, offers a good plain yogurt. Homemade may also be used.

A food processor make the work go faster, but is not absolutely necessary. The chopping and mincing may be done manually, which is traditional. Also, garlic and ginger are traditionally hand-ground together, with a pinch of salt. I´ve done it both ways, and there really isn´t a noticeable difference. Most of my Indian friends use processors. On the other hand, most make their garam masala fresh, and are often recipes passed down for generations. I use a pre-made mix (bought in U.S., but can be found here), because I haven´t found a resource for some of the ingredients in Chile.

like thanks

zer0nz wrote:I made something similar the other night... no recipe, but went something like this

1 Zappalo italiano,
hand full of mushrooms
1 aji verde
1 aji rojo
2 red bell peppers
1 green pepper
All Chopped,

half a jar of tika masala paste (the 4 luka one from the supermarket) mixed with two cans of cream (ligh)
packet of fish you choice cut to bite size pieces
mix all in dish,
put in dish in oven, high as it will go (my oven sucks)

choose some tv show you downloaded from the internet, watch tv for one hour,

Listo!, fish curry with great chile aftertaste and mouth burning, dont lick lips

wash hands after cooking 100 times,
dont touch eyes for 2 days after, (my bad, the red aji stings)

I love the creativity of cooking

Well done & sounds similar to a most excellent fish curry I've made a couple of times. But did you include it in your thesis (I have a dhal receipe in mine)?

James.

No, my thesis in on steroid hormone changes and prostate cancer, but the curry definitely carried me on some long working nights.

Mine was on a new observing technique in astronomy but I didn't forget to acknowledge my curry in full .