Fish curry

How to cook… Balti Tandoori Keema

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

Balti dishes were elevated to cult status thanks to Birmingham of all places, where inexpensive Balti restaurants can be found everywhere, after first emerging in the 1970s. It’s a style of cooking from Kashmiri, coming from a small area in Pakistan called Baltistan. Cooked in a Balti (sometimes called a karahi) and produces fresh, aromatic and mostly dryish dishes. This Balti Tandoori Keema combines Balti Masala and Tandoori Masala and is added to any mince of your choice.

What you need…
• 3 Tablespoon tandoori powder
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 600g mince
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 0.3 red pepper, chopped
• 0.3 yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoon garam masala
• Small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish)
• 2 tablespoons yoghurt
• Salt to taste

Balti Masala
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 3 cardamon
• 2 cloves
• 8 curry leaves
• 3 dried red chillies
• 0.5 teaspoon sea salt


How to make it…
1. Dry fry the ingredients of the Balti Masala in a pan until they release their aromas (about 2 minutes). Grind them to a powder. Add the tandoori masala, mix together and add some water to form a paste. Set aside.
2. Add the fenugreek seeds and fry for 15 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one seed.
3. Add the mince and fry for 10 minutes, making sure all lumps are beaten out and the meat is fully sealed.
4. Add the Balti and Tandoori paste your made in step 1, mix well and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Add the peppers and onion and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add the garam masala, the coriander, the yoghurt and salt and cook for another 5 minutes, making sure everything is cooked through with the peppers and onions soft but not mushy.
8. Add the coriander leaves to garnish and serve.

CHEF’S TIP
If you really like creamy keema curry simply add more yoghurt.

If you like this you should try our…
Sag Paneer • Chilli Paneer • Butter Chicken • Butter Paneer • Prawn Korma • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Dopiaza

“What are you cooking? Don’t tell me we having another hot curry tonight?” … “Stop naggaing me!”

How to cook… Mauritian Fish Curry with Aubergine

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

Take one Indian Ocean island with great fishing around it’s coral reefs and add a huge Indian diaspora and it’s not surprising you can get great fish curries in Mauritius. Simply create a mildish sauce with spices and curry leaves and add delicious fresh fish with aubergine slices.

What you need…
• 4 Tablespoons oil
• 0.5 cumin powder
• 1 Tablespoon curry powder
• 800g red snapper (or other firm, white fish), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• salt to taste
• 1 aubergine, sliced into 6 pieces (de-stalked but not peeled)
• Few coriander leaves (for garnish)
• 2 green chillies, sliced lengthways (for garnish)

Spice Paste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 red dried chilli



How you make it…
1. Blend all the ingredients for the Spice Paste and set aside.
2. Mix the curry and cumin powders with a little water to create a paste and set aside.
3. Heat 2 Tablespoons of the oil to a medium heat, add the fish and cook until all the pieces are sealed and start to brown (about 3-4 mins). Remove and set aside.
4. Add another 1 Tablespoon oil to the pan, add the aubergine slices and fry until they soften and start to brown (about 3 minutes). Remove and set aside.
5. Add the rest of the oil, the Spice Paste and cook until the oil separates from the paste (about 3 minutes).
6. Add the tomato paste and salt, and cook for 2 minutes. Add water as required.
7. Add the aubergine until it absorbs the sauces (about 1 minute).
8. Add the fish and fry gently until all the pieces are cooked through.
9. Add the coriander leaves and chilli slices as garnish and serve.

CHEF’S TIP
If you like some tartness to your curries your can add 1 Tablespoon tamarind paste to the recipe at stage 5.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Feet Curry (Africa)

I don’t know why fishermen say it’s hard to catch a fish. Everytime my friend throws me one I catch it ok.
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How to cook… Naga Chicken

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

Nagaland is one of the smallest states in India with a population of fewer than two million people. Located in the far north-east of the country, bordering Myanmar (formerly Burma) it is famed for the super hot Naga Chilli and this Naga Chicken dish. Used in curries it gives a slightly sweet and tart flavour as well as fierce heat, producing a dish that is on par with a Vindaloo in the hot stakes.

What you need…
• 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons Naga chilli pickle
• Salt to taste
• 2 Tablespoons ghee
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 0.5 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 600g Base Curry Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup
• Small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

Spice Mix
• 1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon vinegar


How to make it…
1. Rub the chicken with 1 Tablespoon of Naga chilli pickle and a pinch of salt and set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Heat the ghee to a high heat. While it is heating up mix the Spice Mix with the vinegar and enough water to form a sloppy paste.
3. Add the cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds and fry for 15 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one seed.
4. Add the garlic paste and cook for 1 minute on a lower heat. You may have to remove the pan from the heat initially to stop the paste burning. (If it burns then throw it away and start again.)
5. Add the Spice Mix paste and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy.
6. Add the Base Curry Sauce, tomato and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add the chicken and the rest of the Naga chilli pickle, mix well and cook for 5 minutes.
8. Add the garam masala, salt and coriander stems and continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked.
9. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves.

CHEF’S TIP
If you are worried this will be a bit hot taste the sauce once the add the chicken has been added and start adding the rest of the Naga chilli pickle bit by bit until you get the heat you prefer.

If you like this you should try our…
Sag Paneer • Chilli Paneer • Butter Chicken • Butter Paneer • Prawn Korma • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Dopiaza • Ambot Tik

“What are you cooking? Don’t tell me we having another hot curry tonight?” … “Stop naggaing me!”

How to cook… Karahi Paneer

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

Named after the pot in which it is cooked Karahi Paneer is also known as Kadhai Paneer. The wide, deep circular pot is popular for cooking all over the sub-continent but especially North India and Pakistan. A karahi masala is made by dry roasting and grinding whole, aromatic spices then adding it to a tomato and onion gravy with red peppers and cream.

What you need…
• 500g paneer, cut into chunks
• 3 Tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 0.5 teaspoon ginger paste
• 500g Base Curry Sauce
• 0.5 red pepper, cut into chunks
• 0.5 teaspoon garam masala
• 3 Tablespoons cream
• 2 Tablespoons chopped coriander (to be added and mixed into the curry, but keep a couple for the garnish)
• salt to taste

Masala
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 0.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 0.5 fenugreek seeds
• 4 red, dried chillies
• 2 cardomons
• 2 cloves

How to make it…
1. Heat a pan and dry roast the ingredients for the masala until they release an aroma (about 2 minutes). Grind the ingredients and set aside.
2. Heat 1 Tablespoon ghee in pan to a low-medium heat. Add the paneer cubes and fry until they brown. This should take about 3–4 minute. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Heat the rest of the oil in the pan to a medium heat, add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the Base Curry Sauce and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the masala, mix well and cook for 3 minutes.
6. Add the pepper and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Add the garam masala, mix well, then add the cream, coriander and salt and cook for 3 minutes.
8. Garnish with a few coriander leaves and serve.

CHEF’S TIP
For the authentic experience cook and serve your curry in the same karahi.

If you like this you should try our…
Sag Paneer • Chilli Paneer • Butter Chicken • Butter Paneer • Prawn Korma • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Dopiaza

What is paneer’s favourite song? … I Did It My Way.

How to cook… Kathi Roll

Recipes

Serves 4 as a snack

The famous Kathi Rolls are from the streets of Calcutta in West Bengal but they are now famous all over the world. The rolls are ideal for commuters eating on the go and would traditionally have included meat, fried onion and spices in a paratha. Today Kathi Roll has become a catch-up phrase for any spicy wrap so you are likely to find it will all sorts of fillings

What you need…
For the warm filling
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 0.5 mustard seeds
• 0.5 cumin seeds
• 1 onion sliced
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 0.5 chilli powder
• 0.5 garam masala powder
• 400g chicken breast or thigh cut into small, 2cm chunks
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon coriander chopped (the stems are the tastiest)
• 4 paratha

For the cold filling
• 0.5 onion sliced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• few coriander leaves
• 4 Tablespoons Coriander Chutney

How to make it…
1. Heat the oil to a medium-high heat and fry the cumin seeds and mustard seeds for 30 seconds.
2. Add the onion and fry until it starts to brown (about 5 minutes).
3. Add the garlic paste and ginger paste and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add in the turmeric powder, chilli powder and garam masala, mix well and cook for 3 minutes. Avoid adding water if possible as you want the mix to be dry.
5. Add the chicken, salt and coriander, and stir fry until all the pieces are cooked through.
6. Open up the parathas and spread in the hot mixture in a line just off centre. You need less than you think – don’t overload it or you won’t be able to wrap it up.
7. Add the cold filling, making sure the Coriander Chutney is spread evenly, and roll the paratha to create a wrap.

CHEF’S TIP
If there is too much moisture in the pan after cooking the filling then drain this off before filling the parathas or the juices will soak in and they will fall apart.

If you like this you should try our…
Sag Paneer • Chilli Paneer • Butter Chicken • Butter Paneer • Prawn Korma • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Dopiaza

Why is this street snack the smartest of all? … Because they are always rapping.

How to cook… Pakistani Fish Curry

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

Pakistani Fish Curry, also called Sindhi Fish Curry, is made by marinating pieces of white fish in yoghurt with garlic and spices. Whole spices are then fried, then onion, tomato and chillies added before the fish pieces are cooked. The dish is a popular winter dish and is traditionally cooked using pomfret, but you can use any firm, white fish.

What you need…
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 700g firm white fish, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1.5 medium onions, finely chopped
• 4 chillies, chopped
• coriander leaves, for garnish

For the marinade
• 100g yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 0.5 teaspoon coriander powder
• 0.5 teaspoon chilli powder
• 0.5 teaspoon salt

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How to make it…
1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and mix together. Add the fish pieces and leave for 1 hour.
2. Heat the oil to a high heat and fry the cumin seeds and fenugreek seeks for 15 seconds. The seeds should sizzle immediately (you can test the oil is hot enough by trying a cumin seeds).
3. Turn down the heat, add the onion and cook until it has softened (about 5 minutes).
4. Add the chillies and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the fish with all the marinade and cook gently until the pieces are all cooked through. Be careful when stirring so you do not break up the fish pieces.
6. Sprinkle a few coriander leaves on top of the dish and serve.

CHEF’S TIP
You can also cook this using whole fish fillets but you need a large flat pan and have to cook very gently to keep the fillets intact.

If you like this you should try our…
Sag Paneer • Chilli Paneer • Butter Chicken • Butter Paneer • Prawn Korma • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Dopiaza

Two fish are in a tank going round and round. “Hey,” says one fish. “Can’t you drive this straight?”

Blackheath (Chinipan)

1. Reviews (London)

Chinipan, SE3

Usually, no matter which corner of London you visit you will find a curry house. So why has there not been one in Blackheath Standard for the last umpteen years? Luckily the rain has come to the desert in the form of Chinipan, a smart Bangladeshi-run place in the premises of the old hardware store.It’s only been open a few months and I’m pleased to see it’s going strong.

The name, meaning sweet leaf, is used on a few of the specials on the menu. I tried the Chinipan Fish Curry (£8.95), with tender, large chunks of salmon. The fish is marinated overnight then sealed in the tandoor for a few minutes before joining the spicy, creamy coconut sauce. A touch of smoked tamarind keeps your taste buds alive throughout.The Chicken Tikka starter (£5.50) was tender and moreish, and a fan of Biryani assured me the chicken version (£10.95) they had was excellent too. It certainly disappeared quickly.

Service is friendly but relaxed and there is an attractive lunch deal (£8.99 for two courses, £10.99 for three) which means it is one of the few local curry places where I often see people eating in the day. The decor is smart, if a little sparse, but it looks as if the team is slowly building a good reputation in this part of SE3.

The restaurant is now fully licensed after a spell of BYO when it first opened at the end of 2016

Chinipan, 15 Old Dover Road, Blackheath, London, SE3 7BT. Tel: 020 8853 5800. Open: daily noon – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm.

Scores on the tandoors
Food 7.5
Decor 6
Service and friendliness 8
Vibe (early Wednesday night) 6
Value 8

Prawn or Fish Curry (quick and easy)

Recipes

Prawn or Fish Curry (quick and easy)

Prawns are delicious in curry, giving a firm bite and a gorgeous taste. Raw prawns need between eight and 15 minutes to cook depending on size. Cooked prawn merely need to be heated through and will take just a few minutes.

Ingredients (serves four)
• 675g peeled prawns or fish cut into chunks
• 485g Madhuban sauce*
• 2 tbls finely chopped coriander (optional)
• A few toasted almond flakes to garnish (optional)
• A few curls of fresh coconut to garnish (optional)
• A few coriander leaves to garnish (optional)

Method (cooking time five to eight minutes)
1. Thoroughly mix the prawns with the sauce in a large wok, karahi or saucepan.

2. Put the pan on a stove ring at medium and stir occasionally until the contents are simmering.

3. Stir in the coriander and add a little water if the sauce needs loosening. Cook through for a couple more minutes.

4. Serve with rice and chutneys.

Courtesy of Madhuban Curry Sauces. 

Swimmingly good

2. Reviews (Other UK)

Kashmiri Aroma, Sheffield

Fish lovers prepare yourself. Sheffield you say? Fish lovers? Indeed, not the obvious place for a fish curry feast but apart from Goa in India I’ve never come across a curry house that serves up so many fish options as Kashmiri Aroma.

So much so that this decidedly nowhere-near-the-sea city (in British terms) has a special fish menu. Ever known that in a curry house? No, me neither. From there came the tasty looking scallops starter. “Huge they are,” said the diners (it sounds better in a Yorkshire accent).

From the sea also came the Dhuan Machli  starter (£4.50), a nice piece of lightly spiced smoked haddock as well as the main Balti Machli Chilli (£9.95), a sort of spicy haddock Jalfriezi that was spiced beautifully and cooked to tender perfection with crunchy green peppers.  If more curry houses could cook fish like this chicken sales would dwindle. Elsewhere on the menu is Halibut Steak (£14.55) a recipe from the Neelam River in Kashmir, Cod Lion (£12.55), Sea Bass (£11.95) from the villages of the Ravi River in the Punjab, and Goan King Prawns (£11.95) for coconut milk lovers. And this is not to even mention a string of other fish/prawn specialities and the old favourites like Prawn Korma (£7.50).

But the menu is extensive so the non-fish lovers around the table had no problem. A mention in dispatches for Chicken Liver Tikka (£3.70) a starter that sounds like it should be as dry as tongue after a heavy night but somehow pulled it off, and Shahi Garana (£8.50) a keema curry mixed in with chunks of chicken and a decent amount of sauce (is it me or does that dry keema thing get a bit too much sometimes?).

The venue (superb and large bar area by the way) has apparently been a pizza place, a Chinese, a whatever whatever eat eat in previous incarnations, but despite being a bit on the high end of the price range for a Sheffield curry house, unless something changes to these exceptional food standards it’s going to be Kashmiri Aroma for a long time.

Kashmiri Aroma, 798 Chesterfield Road, Sheffield, S8 0SF . Tel: 01142 587780. Open: Mon–Thurs 5.30pm-11pm, Fri–Sat 5.30pm-11.30pm, Sun 5.30pm-10.30pm.

Kashmiri Aroma snapshot

Food ① ② ③ ④

Decor ① ② ③ ④

Value ① ② ③ ④

Atmosphere (Saturday night) ① ② ③ ④ ⑤

Service and friendliness ① ② ③ ④

Kashmiri Aroma on Urbanspoon

Curry tip of the week 2

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To avoid it breaking up when stirring, use a firm fish when cooking a fish curry. Monkfish or cod works well. Even tuna.