Name: Fish in creamy almond sauce
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: large pinch of saffron, pounded; 4 green cardamom pods, bruised; fine strips of red and green chillies, to garnish; 30 ml/2 tbsp hot milk; 25 g/1 oz unsalted butter; 75 g/3 oz/¾ cup blanched almonds; 30 ml/2 tbsp sunflower or light olive oil; 120 ml/4 fl oz/½ cup single (light) cream; 675 g/1½ lb firm white fish fillets, such as tilapia, sole, monkfish or turbot, skinned and bones removed; 30 ml/2 tbsp lemon juice; 5 ml/1 tsp salt, or to taste; 2.5-5 ml/½-1 tsp chilli powder; 2.5 cm/1 in fresh root ginger, grated, or 10 ml/2 tsp ginger purée; Pilau Rice with Raisins, to serve; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, crushed, or 10 ml/2 tsp garlic purée; 2 cloves; 1 bay leaf

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Complete Indian Regional Cookbook

By Mridula Baljekar

Published 2017

About

Making a curry with an almond purée is a classic style of cooking that was passed down from the Mughals centuries ago. It is thought that this recipe, Machchi Badami, was created for the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who was noted for his love of good food.

Ingredients

675 g/1½ lb firm white fish fillets, such as tilapia, sole, monkfish or turbot</

Method

Cut the fish into 5cm/2in pieces. Sprinkle with lemon juice and salt and place in a dish. Cover with clear film (plastic wrap) and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Crumble the saffron into a bowl and pour over the hot milk.