Goan Fish Curry

The Goan fish curry is a rich, sour sauce that is served with fish. Usually a white fish, but has also been served with strong oily fish, or even shrimp.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 piece of star anise
8 dried Kashmiri chilies - or 1 tbsp of Kashmiri chillie powder [ If you can't find Kashmiri chillies, substitute 1/2 to 1 tsp of chilli powder and 1 tbsp of paprika]
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder - Or 1 fresh root the size of a little finger
1 tbsp of jaggery or brown sugar
5 garlic cloves
1 chunk of fresh ginger (about a walnut sized piece), peeled, grated or chopped fine
1 chunk about as much as 1 1/2 walnuts of tamarind paste
1 1/2 tbsp white (distilled) vinegar
1 large tomato or 1 tbsp tomato paste
1 fist sized onion
1 tin of coconut milk (400ml)
2 fresh chillies - jalapino or serrano
1/2 cup of oil - Coconut, peanut, or rape.
Seafood: fish, prawns (shrimp) or shellfish like mussels, clams or oysters. Between 250 and 500 grams.

Preparation:

First in a dry frying pan roast the coriander, cumin and mustard seeds. Take them off the heat when they start popping.

Grind them to powder in a mortar and pestle.

Grind the star anise in the mortar and pestle separately.

Divide up the tamarind and disolve in the distilled vinegar. Set aside.

Put the ground spices in a bowl and add Kashmiri chilli or paprika and cayenne chili, tumreric, and sugar. Add the vinegar and tamarind to the spices prepared above.

Take a large pot, and put the oil in and let it get hot. Then add the onions and cook until they are translucent. Then add the ginger and chopped fresh chillies then last the garlic and chopped tomato or tomato paste.

Then add all the spices set aside earlier and stir to mix everything. When it comes back to heat, add the coconut milk and bring up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

lastly add the seafood cooking the seafood in the sauce.

Serve with rice.

This curry should be hot, you can adjust the chillies to taste.