Malaysian Recipe : Dry Fish Curry

Ingredients:

A:

• 1 ½ tsp turmeric powder
  
• 1 ½ tsp dried chili powder
  
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
  
• 1 tbsp cinnamon powder
  
• 1 tsp aniseed powder

• 1 lb coconut
  
• 24 oz Spanish mackerel

Marinade:

• 2 tbsp fish sauce
  
• 1 tsp pepper
  
• 1 tbsp lime juice
  
• 1 tbsp sugar

• 4 fl oz. oil for frying fish
  
• 3 tbsp oil for frying paste
  
• 2 oz onions, sliced thinly
  
• ½ thumb-sized piece ginger, shredded thinly
  
• 1 tsp rempah tumis
  
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
  
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
  
• 2 oz shallots, pounded coarsely
  
• 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced thickly

Seasoning:

• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1 tsp sugar
  
• 1 tsp MSG

1. Squeeze coconut with 8 fl oz. water to extract milk. Set aside.
2. Wash and cut fish into pieces. Soak in marinade for 20 minutes. Drain fish and fry till lightly browned on both sides. Remove and set aside.
3. Heat 3 tbsp oil in wok. Fry sliced onions till soft; add ginger, rempah tumis and curry leaves. Fry till ginger turns light brown. Stir in garlic, fry for 1 minute; add shallots and stir fry till light brown.
4. Add A with ½ cup coconut milk. Stir for ½ minute and add 4 fl oz. water and tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
5. Pour in remaining milk and seasoning. Cook over low heat till it reaches a boil. Put in fish and continue cooking till gravy is thick. Remove from heat. Serve hot or cold.

Note: Cut Spanish mackerel into 1 inch thick pieces. Then cut each piece into four. Ingredients A may be substituted with 4tbsp curry powder and 1 tsp turmeric powder.