Traditional Fish Curry Rice Goa

Most goans would agree that their favourite dish is fish curry and rice, where there is a good mix of ingredients in every mouthful. Seafood forms an important part of the goan diet as it is high in protein.

Goa has a beautiful coastline which yields plentiful supplies of fish all year round. The goans skills in preparing and serving fish are legendary and this is amplified by the variety of fish available; kingfisher pomfret, doumer, tuna, mackerel, crab, prawns, tiger prawns, shark, lobster squid and mussels, the list is endless. Goans are extremely adept at preparing fish in a wide variety of fish. Very fresh fish is sliced thinly and served raw; this is desirable and adds a bit of zest to any goan recipe.

Goa's Fish Curry Rice is made of of prawns (peeled / divined) or sliced fish, green chilies or peppers (deseeded), onion, grated coconut, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves garlic. Red dried chilies or peppers, ginger, turmeric powder and tamarind pulp.

Ingredients:

Ingredients
50ml vegetable oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
2 green chillies, finely chopped
Pinch of ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
60ml coconut cream
2 tbsp fresh, sieved tamarind
160ml coconut milk
600g large, raw tiger prawn tails
Salt

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pan over a medium heat. Add the sliced onion, and fry for 10 minutes until soft. Add the ginger and green chilli and fry for 1 minute. Add the turmeric, coriander, cumin and chilli powder. Mix well. Add the coconut cream and cook until the oil separates out from the mix.

Add the tamarind and coconut milk and bring the sauce to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, shell the prawns (leaving their tails on, if you like) and remove the dark digestive cords. Wash the prawns in cold water and drain them thoroughly.

Drop the prawns into the sauce, add salt to taste and gently simmer until the prawns are cooked - about 5 minutes. The sauce should be of pouring consistency. Garnish, if you like, with shredded spring onion, and serve with rice.