serves
4-6
prep
20 minutes
cook
30 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
4-6
people
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
30
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Stream free On Demand
Speedy & Spiced
episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • cooking • 25m
G
episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • cooking • 25m
G
Ingredients
- 40 g coconut oil
- 4 g curry leaves
- 220 g sliced brown onion
- 20 g finely chopped garlic
- 15 g finely chopped ginger
- 15 g finely chopped lemongrass (white part only)
- 1 long green chilli, thinly sliced
- Salt flakes and white pepper
- 30 g brown curry powder (see Notes)
- 8 g fennel seeds
- 4 g fenugreek seeds
- 400 ml coconut cream
- 4 cm x 5 cm pieces pandan leaf
- 500 g snapper fillet (see Note), cut into 3 cm chunks
For the brown curry powder (Makes about 200 g)
- 45 g coriander seeds
- 30 g fennel seeds
- 30 g white peppercorns
- 30 g mustard seeds
- 20 g cumin seeds
- 12 g curry leaves
- 1 g pandan leaf, cut into 0.5 cm pieces
- 15 g cinnamon quill, roughly crushed
- 8 g cardamom seeds
- 11 g turmeric powder
- 11 g chilli powder
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the curry leaves and cook, stirring, for a minute or so until the leaves are fried. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chilli and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes or until the onion has softened.
- Add the brown curry powder (recipe below), fennel and fenugreek seeds and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes until the curry powder begins to catch on the bottom of the pan. Season again with salt and pepper.
- Stir through the coconut cream, pandan leaf and 500 ml water and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
- Stir through the fish pieces and simmer gently, until just cooked. The cooking time will depend on the size of the fish pieces, so check after 5 minutes. Remove the Sri Lankan fish curry from the heat and serve.
Notes
- Most varieties of white-fleshed fish will work here, though I would recommend one with large flakes that are not too delicate.
Brown curry powder recipe (Makes about 200 g)
If you had to pick one all-purpose curry powder to serve all your needs, this is the one. It has a little heat to it and is perfect for any recipe that calls for a toasted, Sri Lankan or Ceylon curry powder.
- Place a large dry frypan over medium-high heat, add the coriander and fennel seeds and toast gently, tossing regularly for even cooking.
- After about 2 minutes, the spices will start popping and releasing their aromas. Reduce the heat and keep toasting for another 4-5 minutes until the spices start to darken and the aroma becomes stronger. Tip them into a bowl.
- Add the peppercorns, mustard and cumin seeds, curry leaves and pandan to the pan and toast over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until they start to pop.
- Reduce the heat and toast for another 2-3 minutes until the pepper smell is pronounced, the mustard seeds are not only popping but grey in colour, the cumin darkens, and the fresh leaves are dry. Tip them into the bowl with the coriander and fennel seeds.
- Next, toast the cinnamon and cardamom seeds over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes, then add to the bowl with the other spices and allow to cool completely.
- Grind to a fine powder and then mix through the turmeric and chilli powder. Store in an airtight container.
Photography by Jiwon Kim.
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Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
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Speedy & Spiced
