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Aksara’s Sri Lankan Fish Curry

Help your child make Aksara's delicious Sri Lankan fish curry with this simple recipe. Serves 4.

You will need
  • 2 dessertspoons (dsp) vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon (tsp) black mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 4 dried or fresh curry leaves
  • 2 long shallots
  • 30g tamarind pre-soaked in 70ml warm water
  • 200g tinned chopped tomatoes
  • 200ml reduced fat coconut milk
  • 2tsp garlic puree
  • 1tsp mild chilli powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 4 white fish fillets (about 300g total)

Method

For allergens, see ingredients in bold.

  1. Measure the 2 dsp vegetable oil into a small casserole then add the 1 tsp black mustard seeds, ½ fennel seeds, ½ fenugreek seeds and the 4 curry leaves and stir.

  2. Take the 2 long shallots, cut off both ends (topping and tailing), then tear off the dry, papery skin. Cut the shallots in half lengthways, with your hand in the bridge hold. Pull the layers of the shallots apart. Snip or tear into smaller pieces and add to the casserole then stir to mix everything together.

  3. Cover the casserole with a lid or foil and get an adult to put it into the oven at 180° for 25 minutes to release the flavours and soften the onions.

  4. Take the bowl of 30g soaked tamarind and squeeze and mush it up with your fingers to make as soft as possible, then pour into a sieve sitting over a bowl. Push the tamarind pulp through sieve with your fingers or the back of a spoon, scrape it from the bottom of the sieve into the bowl and repeat until all the pulp has been collected and just the seeds and skins are left behind. Put the tamarind paste into a large, shallow casserole dish.

  5. Add the 200g tinned chopped tomatoes and the 200ml coconut milk. Then measure in the 2 tsp garlic puree, 1tsp mild chilli powder, ¼ ground turmeric and 2 tsp coriander. Stir everything together well.

  6. Take the cooled, roasted seeds and shallots and add to the large casserole and stir all this together.

  7. Take the fish fillets from the fridge, and rub your fingers over to check for bones (ask an adult to check too). Place the fillets on top of the sauce in the casserole – don’t forget to wash your hands now. Put on the lid and ask a grown up to put it in the oven for you at 180°C for 30 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and piping hot. Allow to cool a little before serving.

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Recipes adapted for CBeebies and My World Kitchen by Sally Brown and Kate Morris.

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