Name: Fish curry
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Bangladesi
Ingredients: 1-2 tsp fennel seeds; 1-2 tsp paprika; 1.3 litres fish stock (or a good-quality fish stock cube dissolved in that amount of hot water); 1 lemon, halved; 2 tsp tomato purée; salt and freshly ground white pepper; 60 g clarified butter or ghee; flour, for dusting; 100 g coconut cream (block or liquid) basmati rice, to serve; 600 g firm-fleshed fish fillet (snapper, pomfret, huss, etc.), any residual bones removed and fillets cut into 3-4 cm chunks; 1-2 tsp fenugreek seeds; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground turmeric; pinch of saffron strands; 1-2 tbsp chopped root ginger; 1 small medium-strength chilli, deseeded and finely chopped; 1-2 tsp cumin seeds; 3 onions, roughly chopped; 4 large garlic cloves, crushed; 4 tbsp split yellow lentils (mung dhal), soaked in cold water for 1 hour; 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves; 1 tsp curry powder; 1-2 tsp mustard seeds; good pinch of curry leaves

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Fish etc.

By Mark Hix

Published 2004

About

When I worked at the Dorchester Hotel in Park Lane we had a lovable bunch of Bangladeshi kitchen porters. Every day they’d make themselves a different curry for their staff meal. They would ask us to take them to the dry stores, where they’d mix their own spices, and we’d then give them chicken, meat, fish or vegetables.

They weren’t interested in Dover sole or luxury fish and their favourite piece of fish was the head, which they added to a delicious curry that I remember to this d