Poached Tilapia with Tart Coconut Milk and Garlic

Name: Poached Tilapia with Tart Coconut Milk and Garlic (Kokum Muchee)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 1 pound skinless tilapia fillets (see Tips); 2 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, stems removed, cut in half lengthwise (do not remove the seeds); 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems for garnishing; 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; 5 pieces dried black kokum, each roughly 2 inches long and 1 inch wide (see Tips); ¼ cup boiling water; 4 medium-size cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 2 tablespoons canola oil

Kokum Muchee

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

I sampled this curry back in Mumbai at the home of Mrs. Desai, my Marathi teacher from my childhood’s Jesuit-run private school. She poached skin-on, bone-in, whole pomfrets, but my version eliminates the frustration of having to pick out the bones from each mouthful.

Ingredients

½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 pound skinless tilapia fillets (see Tips)

Asia
India
Mumbai
Fish course
Pescatarian
Gluten-free

Method

Sprinkle the turmeric over both sides of the fillets, rubbing it in. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes, to allow the spice to flavor and color the fillets.
Combine the kokum and the boiling water in a small heatproof bowl, and let it steep for 10 to 15 minutes to extract the kokum’s slightly bitter juices. Then squeeze the kokum pieces to extract all t