Conserving food is the norm where I come from. It doesn’t matter how abundant food may be, using up every ounce of ingredients––even vegetable peels and fish bones––is the practice back home. This fish curry with cauliflower and eggplant is a recipe that I grew up eating. My mom would make a different fish recipe every weekday (none of them called fish curries, btw). And on Saturdays, she would make a spicy fish curry with all the leftover raw vegetables from the week. In the winter months she would throw in carrots, peas, cauliflower, and beets with lots of cilantro, and in the summer months, she would use eggplant, gourd, potatoes, and okra. She would stretch every meal by incorporating leftover ingredients to reduce food waste as a way of life. Adding different ingredients expanded the meal while also retaining its taste and appeal. Whether you get unexpected guests or your budget and supplies suddenly shrink, or you have a big family to feed, stretching a meal is a talent every good cook needs to know.
I have kept on with the tradition of cooking a fish stew with leftover vegetables every week (the pictures in this blog post are from different days 🙂 ). To jazz up the simple, homely dish, I have added coconut milk instead of water. Make this vegan by just skipping the fish. The gravy is so delicious that everything goes.
How to cook Fish Curry?
This is a very simple Bengali style fish curry, only using ingredients that are available in most kitchens and every Indian household.
If you are using fish, you will need to marinate the fish with turmeric powder, salt, and chili powder. You can use whatever fish you like. I used tilapia fillets because that’s what I had. Because the fish needs to be shallow fried before adding to the gravy, I added some rice flour to the marinade to prevent the fish from breaking. This step, however, is optional.
After shallow frying, remove the fish onto absorbent paper.
To the same oil, add onion seeds (or cumin seeds), green chilies, chopped garlic, and onions. Saute until translucent.
Now add cumin powder, turmeric powder, and chili powder. Stir and continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
Now add diced eggplants and cauliflower florets. Give everything a stir and add tomato paste. Cook until the raw tomato and spice smell has dissipated.
Add enough coconut milk to immerse everything. I use light coconut milk.
When the vegetables have softened, add fried fish fillets. Stir and sprinkle fresh coriander leaves. Serve with steamed white rice.
Find the full fish curry recipe with ingredients list down below.
Fish curry
Ingredients
For frying fish
- 500 grams fish fillets or steaks
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp rice flour
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp oil for frying fish
For the gravy/curry
- 1/2 tsp onion seeds or cumin seeds optional
- 1 green chili split
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder optional
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 2 medium eggplants diced
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups coconut milk light
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Mix turmeric powder, chili powder, salt, rice flour, and water in a bowl. Add the fish and mix to coat well.
- Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the fish until golden brown. Remove onto absorbent paper.
- To the same oil (add more if necessary), add onion seeds (or cumin seeds), green chilies, chopped garlic, and onions. Saute until translucent.
- Now add cumin powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and chili powder. Stir and continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
- Now add diced eggplants and cauliflower florets. Cook until the vegetables have softened a little, approximately 3-4 minutes. Add tomato paste and give everything a good stir. Cook over medium heat until the raw tomato and spice smell has dissipated, approximately 8-10 minutes
- Add enough coconut milk to immerse everything, adjust salt, and cover and cook over medium heat for 5-6 more minutes or until oil separates.
- When the vegetables have cooked all the way, add the fried fish fillets. Stir and sprinkle fresh coriander leaves and turn off the heat immediately (if using fish steaks, let it simmer for another minute). Serve with steamed white rice.
Dhrubaa Mukherjee--An academic by profession, a contributor to Huffington Post, a dancer by passion, a compulsive foodie, a former flight attendant, and a constant traveler, I am, what they call, a transnational gourmand (gourmet?). I am not only fascinated by the tastes, colors, textures and aromas of food, I am equally intrigued by the histories, traditions and cultural inter-junctions that drive/influence recipes.
This dish was delicious definitely added a little bit more salt and pepper for my personal taste but it was perfect.
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
An excellent recipe. Had to add a bit more coconut milk to cook the cauliflower but it was delish.