Sri Lankan mustard fish curry with broccoli pea ‘rice’
Fragrant, delicate and served with a light gravy, mustard curries are everywhere in Sri Lanka. My favourite is with kingfish, which is gaining in popularity in the West, but any firm white fish will do. This version suggests swapping in a bay leaf for the traditional rampe (pandan) leaves to keep it practical while still tasting delicious. Serve this with broccoli and pea ‘rice’ to get your greens in, or you can mix it with some cooked basmati rice if you like.
Fish can be tricky to cook with, but I find poaching it in liquid one of the simplest methods – it doesn’t go dry or stick to the base of the pan and it is usually easier to catch it at the right moment of ‘doneness’. If you’re cooking for a friend you could do the first few stages in advance, start poaching the fish when you’re ready and finish with a swirl of coconut cream and fenugreek seeds.
Serves 2
1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 medium onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
8 fresh or dried curry leaves
1 bay leaf
5cm (2in) piece of cinnamon stick
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 green chilli, slit lengthways
1 tsp ground turmeric
450g firm white fish, such as snapper, pollock, sea bream or cod, cut into chunks
150ml (⅔ cup) water
juice of ½ lime
100ml coconut cream
sea salt, to taste
FOR THE BROCCOLI PEA ‘RICE’
1 large head of broccoli
1 tsp ghee or coconut oil
50g (⅓ cup) peas
2 tbsp water
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Make the broccoli and pea ‘rice’ by removing the tough end of the broccoli stalk and roughly cut into chunks. Use a food processor (with the S-curved blade or grater attachment) or the coarse side of a grater to grate the broccoli into rice-sized pieces.
2 Melt the ghee in a large frying pan, add the grated broccoli and the peas with the water and stir to mix. Steam over a medium heat, lid on, for 4–5 minutes until tender but still with a little bite. Check after 3–4 minutes to make sure that there is still enough water in the bottom of the pan to stop it catching. Season with salt and pepper.
3 Meanwhile, melt the ghee in a separate heavy-bottomed pan. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds start to pop, add the onion, garlic, curry leaves, bay leaf, cinnamon, fenugreek and chilli. Sweat the ingredients until they are transparent and develop a pale golden colour.
4 Add the turmeric and cook for a further 30 seconds. Add the fish, water and lime juice, then cover and simmer for about 5 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
5 When the fish is cooked, add the coconut cream to the curry and cook for another minute. Season with salt and serve with the ‘rice’.