Indonesia - Fish Curry (Kare Ikan)

Fish Curry 

(Kare Ikan) 

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

-       1 1/2 Lb, cleaned weight fish

-       6 Shallots or 1 lg Onion

-       2 Cloves garlic

-       2 ts Ground coriander

-       1 ts Ground ginger

-       1/2 ts Powdered lemon grass or 1 Blade fresh, lemon grass

-       1 ts Chilli powder

-       1 Salam leaf or bay-leaf

-       1/2 ts Turmeric

-       1/2 c Tamarind water

-       1 c Of thick santen (coconut -milk)

-       2 tb Vegetable oil

-       Salt

-       sl Cucumber

-       Mint

Directions

It is better to select a white fish with firm flesh, such as haddock, angler-fish, swordfish or dogfish. In Australia the various fish known as whiting would be a good choice. Americans might like to use snappers.

-       Whatever fish is used, it can be cut into small cubes or slices before frying.

-       Heat a little oil in a heavy frying-pan, and carefully brown the fish in it.

-       Meanwhile, in another frying-pan, fry the chopped shallots (or onion) and garlic until tender.

-       Stir in the chilli, ginger, turmeric, coriander, lemon grass, salam, salt and tamarind water.

-       Let this mixture simmer for 10 minutes, then put in the fish.

-       Cover, and simmer for another 10 minutes.

-       Add the santen and cook for a further 5 minutes.

-       Serve hot, garnished with very thin slices of cucumber and chopped mint. (Alternatively, put the cucumber and mint into the kare itself for the last 2 minutes of cooking.)

-        Incidentally, the same kare can be made with prawns.

-       There is no need to fry the prawns separately; but fry them in the mixture of onion, etcetera for a few minutes before you put in the tamarind water.

Makes 4 servings.