Curry time

FISHING NEWS
In Goa,we usually serve the fish curry with a small bowlful of crispy-fried small fish. It is not only an important part of each meal but also a must-serve at every important occasion. We serve two or three varieties of fish curry at weddings and parties,says Cress.
Today,Cress is going to teach us how to make xit-kodi fish curry-rice,traditionally called Caril De Peixe in Portugese. Its a simple dish and consists of spices,fish and just a bit of coconut milk.

Cress readies the table with the ingredients and tells us how to choose the right fish. Check if the gills are still red. Also,the body should be firm and eyes bright, she says,while slicing out the gills and emptying the stomach. We usually serve surmai in fish curries since its boneless and easier to eat. But pomfrets are good enough since they dont have too many bones, she says,her knife making neat long pieces of the fish. Its best to cut the fish in straight slices and keep the skin as it adds flavour and prevents the fish from breaking up.

TOAST TO THE COAST
Next step: Cress embalms each slice with salt and turmeric powder and lets it rest. In a mixer-grinder,she puts together the spices garlic,pepper,fiery red chillies,coriander seeds,grated coconut. The grinder churns noisily and transforms the spices into a bright orange paste. It is important to make this paste fresh. Thats how we do it in Goa, chips in Chrys,whose family hails from Divar,a small island on Mandovi river. As his wife goes about the cooking,he gets chatty about his childhood. My parents settled in Mumbai but as kids,our vacations were in Goa. From Panaji,we would be ferried to Divar. No matter how much we munched on the way,we would land on the dining table hungry for the bowlfuls of prawns and fish curries,all served with a portion of healthy Goan red rice, he says.

Before we are completely transported to the elegant Portuguese villas and the sugar-white beaches that line the state,Cress places a saucepan on the stove,pours in oil,a cupful of freshly sliced onions and the paste. There is no need to fry the onions in the oil first,before heaping in the paste. Its more like a quick stew and we dont need to douse it with extra oil or confuse the dish with too many flavours, says Cress.

THE SUPER BOWL
With the arrival of Portuguese,this staple Goan meal underwent numerous nips and tucks. Their preference for a curry made in olive oil resulted in a dish which is still popular in Goa,Peixe A8217; Portuguesa. There is also a mild yellow version of the curry with coconut milk Caldinho De Peixe and a hot and sour fish curry Ambot Tik, says Cress.
Ten minutes later,when the pan is bubbling with the curry paste,Cress adds a spoon of coconut milk,freshly extracted from grated coconut. If you want,you can use readymade coconut milk too,she says. Next to go into the pan are the fish slices,slit green chillies and a few pieces of kokum. You can use tamarind too,instead of kokum. Even raw mango slices could be used to get a distinct twang to the curry but it works best when its a prawn curry.

The fish is done in a few minutes,ready to be paired with a scoop of steamed rice. I personally prefer the par-boiled red rice which has a great flavour and is easy on the tummy, she says as we settle down on one of the restaurants tables.
After one morsel of fish-curry rice,comes the realisation. Borkar had a good reason to ask the gods to wait while he finished his dinner.
Verdict: We give it eight out of ten and pocket the two till we attempt its other variations.

Ingredients serves two:
A whole pomfret or ½ kg fish,sliced and lightly marinated in turmeric and salt
Large onion,sliced
Few peels of kokum or pulp from one tamarindthe size of a walnut soaked in one cup of water
2-3 green chillies,slit
1 tbsp of fresh coconut milk
Salt to taste To be ground finely with a little water
8 dried red Kashmiri chillies
10 cloves of garlic
8 peppercorns
1tsp of coriander seeds
½ coconut grated
1tsp turmeric