home     about     recipes     faqs     cook's book club     links     rss

« Conquering Demons!
Intro to Indian, Part 1: Know your Spice »


One-pot Wonders

Coconut Fish Curry
Coconut Fish Curry

Even though I would like to think of myself as a highly organized person, the fact doesn’t seem to hold true in every aspect of my life. No matter how many times I update my to-do list, or how many post-its I leave around every unexpected corner in my home, I still have to deal with unpaid bills, unanswered emails, and missed deadlines. However, one area where I always seem to excel as someone who would have ‘organization’ as their middle name, would be in making sure my fridge, freezer and pantry are well stocked. This would surely have something to do with the fact that I may be a compulsive list maker. Yes, I love making lists. In fact, I make so many lists within the span of one day that I sometimes even have to make a list of the lists I’ve made. Confusing? Tell me about it!

Though I may not seem to be most successful in crossing out everything on my day’s schedule, my grocery list is one that can be easily counted on. I always have a freezer stocked with a few pounds of chicken, a huge bag of fries and a couple of packets of frozen veggies. My fridge never runs out of eggs, bread and milk, and not mention the staples like veggies and fruits. And my pantry, oh what can I tell you about my pantry, except that if ever we were locked in our house with no way to getting out whatsoever, I could easily survive with three other people for an entire week, with a couple more days added to it! Yes, my husband does comment on the size of my pantry, but hardly ever do I see him complain when I dish out a perfect meal after he refuses to head to the grocery store in the midst of a huge snow storm!

When it comes to wanting a wholesome, no-fuss, quick and easy meal, I always turn to my pantry for comfort. Like the long lost friend who always brings a smile to your face and warm joy to your heart even after seeing them after what seems like ages, my pantry serves me well. I always make sure I have enough of rice, flour, and a few different kinds of pasta to serve me when I call for them. I also stock on various sauces, lentils and beans. And it’s in times like these where I can happily fall back on my tried and tested stack of recipes. Most of them can be made within a few minutes with ingredients entirely coming from pantry staples, while a few may need a little help form something fresh or something frozen.

Speaking of frozen, I like to have a pack or two of some of my favourite seafood always on hand, and fish is definitely one of them. I like buying them pre-cleaned and pre-cut, which then only leaves them the need to defrost and cooked to my liking. Take for example this curry. It’s simple and quick, with only a handful of ingredients. And if that’s not good enough, it’s all made in one pot. Now what could be better than a one-pot meal left to simmer by itself while you tend to a few emails?

COCONUT FISH CURRY
Prep time: 10 min | Cooking time: 20 min | Serves: 4 

2-3
1 small
8-10
1 tbsp
4-5
2 cups
1/4 tsp
1/4 tsp
1/4 tsp
1/2 tsp
1/4 tsp
1 tsp
1 tbsp		   fish fillets, cubed
onion, finely sliced
cherry tomatoes
garlic, finely chopped
curry leaves
coconut milk
curry powder
turmeric powder
red chilli powder
coriander powder
black pepper powder
dried fenugreek leaves
light cooking oil
salt, to taste

SAUTE curry leaves, garlic and onions in hot oil till fragrant and tender. Add curry powder, chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric and black pepper and fry for a few seconds. 

ADD coconut milk and stir till spices blend well. Allow it to come to a boil, and then add fish pieces, cherry tomatoes and dried fenugreek leaves. Season with salt and allow to cook covered for 8-10 minutes till fish is done.

SERVE warm over a bed of rice.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 19th, 2007 at 8:05 pm and is filed under Recipes: Non-Vegetarian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


20 Responses to “One-pot Wonders”

Leave a Reply