Coconut Mustard King Fish Curry Mom’s Secret Recipes

This kingfish curry seasoned with mustard and coconut is simply divine. The yellow mustard goes great with coconut and gives this Bengali-style fish curry a unique taste. I wanted it to remain lightly spiced but flavorful, so I only used spices and ingredients that could complement each other. I used white chili powder instead of red to keep the slight mustard tone and not make it hot and spicy. The mustardy coconut flavor goes well with any meaty white fish and the kingfish was a great fit in that equation. It is a simple and very easy to prepare curry that is ready in no time and makes a good meal with steamed rice and papad. So delicious!

Here is the prescription:
Ingredients:

For the ground masala:
4 cloves of garlic
8 small green chili peppers
1/2 small onion (lime size)
1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
6-1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 cup finely ground coconut
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

For the curry
1 pound kingfish steaks
1/4 tsp black mustard seeds
A pinch of methi seeds (fenugreek).
1 strand fresh curry leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp white chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp mustard powder
2 tsp tamarind pulp
1/4 cup canola oil
Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Clean the fish, rinse under cold running water, drain well, rub with salt and lemon juice and set aside.

2. Grind the yellow mustard and cumin seeds in a wet grinder, then add the onion, garlic and 2 green chilies and grind into a fine paste. Separately grind the coconut into a fine paste.

3. Heat the oil in a pot. Add the black mustard seeds once they start sputtering and toss in the fenugreek seeds. When they start to change color slightly, quickly add the curry leaves followed by ground masala, salt, white chilli, cumin and coriander powder. Methi seeds (fenugreek) burn very quickly, so adding curry leaves and ground masala stops the burning process.

4. Fry the masala in the oil, then mix in the ground coconut paste and continue frying until the mixture reduces and oil comes out.

5. Now add the salted kingfish steaks. If you have kingfish head pieces, you can also add them as the fish curry will be more aromatic and tasty.

6. Sprinkle 1/4 cup water on the sides and let the curry cook over medium heat.

7. Do not stir the fish with a spatula while cooking. Hold the pot with your pot holders and shake the pot slightly to move the fish pieces around in the pot so they don’t stick to the bottom.

8. Mix 2 tsp tamarind paste with 1/4 cup water and add it to the fish curry. Taste and adjust the salt.

9. Continue to simmer until the oil rises to the top. If the curry is too thick, sprinkle a little water from the sides (so that any masala clinging to the sides gets washed into the curry), add a pinch of jaggery and shake the pot gently to mix well.

10. Garnish with chopped coriander, drizzle over some fresh lemon juice and serve hot with steamed rice. Enjoy!

Notes:
1. For best results, follow all instructions carefully and precisely, step by step in the same order. For example, the slightest delay in adding the ground masala during tempering will result in burnt methi seeds which would give a burnt taste to the entire dish.
2. Do not stir the curry with the spatula while the fish is cooking. Hold the pot with gloves and gently shake the curry. It’s really important to follow this step when cooking any type of fish.

Recipe

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