Creamy Fish Curry

Hello boys and girls,

Welcome to cooking with Varun! As someone who loves to cook, it is always nice to get compliments on my cooking from friends and family. But what is even better, is getting compliments from a professional.

Back in 2013, I was visiting my cousin and his family in Switzerland over Christmas. 10 days in Switzerland with my cousin, his wife and their 2 kids. My niece was 13 at the time and really quite pleasant to hang around with, and my nephew, the 'Gangnam Style' obsessed pain in the rear, was 7. The first couple of days were peaceful; bros hanging out, catching up over beers, tucking away my bhabhi's sumptuous cooking, occasionally interrupted by shouts of 'Varun chachu, Varun chachu'. Day 3 onwards, my nephew was over his some-strange-bloke-who-appears-to-be-my-dad's-cousin phobia and began following me around singing Rihanna's 'Shine bright like a diamond', at the top of his voice. After 2 days of trying to reason with the kid and bribe him to stop his, what could only be described as wailing, I did my nut. I picked him up by his ankles and walked over to the loo where I offered to dunk his little head in the toilet if he didn't stop singing. He finally swore he'd stop so I set him down but no sooner did his feet hit the floor, that he began singing again. 3 seconds later, he was upside down once more, with his head inches away from the toilet when he decided to use his secret weapon. Taking a deep breath, he started yelling for his Dad to come save him. My cousin arrived a few moments later and stopped and stared at the scene in front of him. Me, hanging his 7 year old son (who was now pretty red in the face), over the toilet about to dunk him and as I braced myself for a scolding, he reached calmly into his pocket, drew out his cell phone and said, 'Wait, photo to lene de'. Smiling broadly, I lowered the little tyke's head closer and closer to the water in the bowl and about the time his ears were past the toilet seat, he was howling so bad, I decided to let him off. Nevertheless, we both learned our lesson. He learned not to mess with Varun chachu and I learned that my cousin was even cooler than I thought he was.

What does this have to do with professionals liking my cooking, you ask? Well, on the very same trip, my cousins friend, who happens to be a chef in a fancy restaurant in Montreaux, was over for dinner on a night I had volunteered to cook fish curry. She had some of the curry and loved it which pretty much made my day.

There are a lot of little anecdotes from the trip that you will come to read from time to time but for now, here's the recipe to that fish curry.

For Creamy Fish Curry, you will need the following:

Fish                                           300 gms (A nice white fish or perhaps, salmon)

Mustard seeds                            3 tsp

Fenugreek seeds                         1 tsp

Onion                                         1 large

Green chillies                              2-3

Ginger garlic paste                      1 tsp

Tomato                                      1 medium

Red chilli powder                         2-3 tsp

Coriander powder                        2 tsp

Cumin powder                             1 tsp

Dry fenugreek (kasoori methi)      small handful

Coconut milk                               400ml tin

Salt                                             to taste

Oil

Prep:

1. Cut the fish into cubes.
2. Chop the chillies.
3. Grind the onion.
4. Puree the tomato.
5. Open the tin of cocolnut milk without cutting yourself.

Method:

1. Turn on the gas.
2. Bung a pan on.
3. Count to 20.
4. Splash in some oil.
5. Bounce in the mustard seeds.
6. Drop in the fenugreek seeds.
7. Spoon in the onion. (Careful! It's going to spatter!)
8. Roll in the chillies.
9. Cook until the onion is a light brown.
10. Plop in the ginger garlic paste.
11. Mix.
12. Cook until the mixture resembles me with a tan. (Dark brown. Not burnt!)
13. Sprinkle on the red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder.
14. Mix frantically because the mixture is about to burn.
15. Add in a splash of water.
16. Put in the pureed tomato.
17. Mix.
18. Cook until the oil separates from the tomatoes.
19. Pour in the coconut milk.
20. Pour half a cup of water in the coconut milk tin and swill it around to mix with all the milk stuck to the sides of the tin.
21. Pour into the pan.
22. Mix well.
23. Add salt to taste and bring to a boil.
24. Drop the heat to low.
25. Slide in the fish and cook for about 10 minutes with the lid on.
26. Take the lid off.
27. Cook for a couple of minutes.
28. Turn the gas off.
29. Sprinkle on the dry fenugreek (kasoori methi).
30. Serve with rice and a lemon wedge.
31. Stuff face.
32. Bask in the glory of your successfully exceuted dish.

Tip: For a little extra tang, you can add in some tamarind paste. Taste as you add it though. You don't want to add too much and ruin the flavour.

And remember, overeating is a myth. A full tummy is a happy tummy!