Authentic Goan Fish Curry, the Home Kitchen Way
6 min read
Ask ten Goan families for their fish curry and you will get ten slightly different answers, all of them correct. What they share is a base of fresh coconut, a hum of kokum sourness, and enough chilli to wake you up without setting you on fire.
This is the everyday version, the one cooked in home kitchens across Fontainhas and Saligao, not the restaurant one. It comes together in under an hour and tastes even better the next day.
Serve it with red rice and, if you are feeling generous, a side of rava fried mackerel. Then invite people over, because a pot of fish curry is far too good to eat alone.
Ingredients
- 500g firm fish (kingfish or pomfret), cut into steaks
- 1 fresh coconut, grated (or 1.5 cups desiccated)
- 6 to 8 dried Kashmiri chillies
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp turmeric
- 4 to 5 kokum petals (or a squeeze of tamarind)
- 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic, small piece of ginger
- Salt to taste
Method
- Grind coconut, chillies, coriander, cumin, turmeric, garlic and ginger with a little water into a smooth masala.
- Saute the sliced onion in oil until soft, then pour in the ground masala and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add 2 cups water and the kokum, bring to a gentle simmer, and season with salt.
- Slide in the fish, cover, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until just cooked. Do not stir too hard.
- Rest for ten minutes off the heat so the flavours settle, then serve with red rice.