East Meets West Coast: Baked Thai Lingcod Curry

It’s been a while since I posted anything new and interesting. Life kind of got in the way, but I came up with this dish a while ago and figured that it needed to be shared.

Some time ago I was given several large fillets of lingcod, a large white fleshed fish of the Greenling family common off the coast of British Columbia. I’ve been preparing these mild fillets in a number of ways, but I came up with this tasty and fairly easy to prepare recipe when I needed a dish to take to a dinner party.

The recipe below involves a homemade curry paste and stock, but to speed things up a store bought paste and stock could easily be substituted.

Menu

• Baked Thai Lingcod Curry
• Coconut Rice
• Sesame Garlic Brocolli
• Cut Fresh Fruit

Recipe: Baked Thai Lingcod Curry

Curry Paste:

• 2 Tbs Canola or Peanut oil
• 1 Sm Spanish or red onion chopped
• 6 Sm Cloves of garlic chopped
• 1″ Ginger root minced
• 2-3 Tbs Sambal Oeleck to taste
• 1/2 Tbs Shrimp paste or Anchovy paste
• 2 tsp Dried red chillies ground
• 2 tsp Cumin ground
• 3 tsp Coriander seed ground
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric ground
• 1 tsp Dried lemongrass ground
• 1 Tbs Spanish paprika
• 2 Tbs Fish sauce
• 1-2 Tbs Water
• 10-15 Cashews
• 3 Lime leaves centre stalk removed chopped

Curry/Fish

• 2 Tbs Canola or peanut oil
• 1 Med Spanish or red onion halved and sliced finely
• 4 Sm Cloves of garlic sliced
• 1-2 Tbs Sambal Oeleck
• 3-4 Tbs Curry paste to taste
• 1-2 tsp Fish sauce
• 1-3 tsp Brown sugar to taste
• 1 c Thai style fish stock, plain fish stock or low sodium Chinese style chicken stock
• 1 c Coconut milk
• 4 Lime leaves
• Water for thinning while cooking
• 1 Tbs Fresh Lime juice
• 2-3 Tbs Fresh cilantro finely chopped
• 1-2 Tbs Thai basil coarsely chopped
• 2-3 lbs Lingcod or other firm whitefish fillets cut into chunks

Method

Part 1: Curry paste
1. Heat oil in wok or heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and sauté until soft and starting to lightly brown.
3. Add garlic, ginger, shrimp paste and sambal and cook stirring for one to two minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
4. Add the dried spices and cook stirring for another minute.
5. Add fish sauce, water, cashews and chopped lime leaves and continue to cook until well combined (about a minute more).
6. Remove from heat and transfer to a food processor or blender and process to a paste adding a little oil if necessary to create a thick paste.

——–
Part 2: Curry and fish

7. In the same wok or pan used to make the paste add oil and heat over a medium-high heat.
8. Add onions and sauté until translucent.
9. Add garlic and sambal and sauté for two minutes stirring frequently.
10. Add curry paste reserving a little to smear on fish pieces (about two teaspoons) and cook for another minute or two.
11. Stir in stock, coconut milk and lime leaves and bring to a low boil.
12. Reduce heat to low and add fish sauce and brown sugar to taste.
13. Simmer for 20 minutes to allow for the flavours to combine adding additional water if necessary to keep the consistency medium.
14. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro and lime juice and let cool.
15. Cut lingcod into small serving chunks (about 1″x3″) and arrange in a lightly oiled casserole dish.
16. Smear a little of the reserved paste over the fish and evenly sprinkle the Thai basil over the pieces.
17. Pour the cooled curry over the fish and bake in a preheated 375 f oven for 20 minutes.
18. Serve hot or warm.

Notes: I found the finished dish a little on the mild side and if you do you can always add a small handful (4-6) whole fresh red Thai chillies to the simmering curry to kick it up a notch (I usually just slit them with a single cut lengthways down the centre). The chillies also add a nice visual touch to the dish as well–just be sure to warn your guests.

Serves 4-6

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Tamarind Fish Curry (or how to keep your fish from falling apart)

Have you ever tried adding a softer fish pieces to a curry or thick stew? Usually you end up with finely broken pieces of fish swimming around in the sauce. Annoyed by it? Me too.

Unless you are extremely careful when adding and stirring, fatty cuts of salmon, cod, soles and other whitefish have an unfortunate habit of not staying together when added to sauces–and even with care the chances of the fish pieces staying intact are poor at best.

I encountered this when I first started making fish curries–in particularly an otherwise excellent Salmon Curry by author Das Sreedharan. In it he instructs the reader to add cubed salmon to the finished curry until cooked then to stir in coconut milk to finish. I tried to make this dish several times, only to be met with tiny bits of fish spread evenly through the curry instead of the rich savoury salmon chunks shown in his accompanying illustration.

If nothing else I can be a bit stubborn, so I modified the dish with a simple trick and the result was fantastic–so much so that my family won’t have it any other way. The trick, which I’ve applied to other delicate dishes, is to shallow fry the fish pieces (after marinating and a light dusting of chana flour) before adding them to the finished curry. The fish chunks come out moist and just burst with flavour in the mouth. Along the way I’ve tweaked the curry a bit to create a very memorable if somewhat different dish from what Sreedharan originally created.

Menu

• Tamarind fish curry
• Basmati rice
• Spiced peanuts
• Garlic green beans
• Fresh cut strawberries
• Milk for the kids, Malbec for the adults

Recipe: Tamarind Fish Curry

Marinade and Fish:

• 1-2 Tbs Light cooking oil (Canola)
• 1 tsp Cummin seed, ground
• 1/2 tsp tumeric, ground
• 1/2 tsp Hot Indian paprika or ground chilies
• 2 tsp Amchur powder
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt (optional)
• 2-3 tsp Palm or white vinegar
• 3/4-1 lb Salmon, lingcod or other whitefish cut into 1″ cubes (see method/notes)
• Cooking oil for frying

Flour:

• 1/4 c Chana (chickpea) flour, or bleached wheat flour (the latter is not GF of course)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Curry:

• 1-2 Tbs Light cooking oil (Canola)
• 10 Kari (curry) leaves
• Pinch Fenugreek seeds, whole
• 2 tsp Black or brown mustard seeds, whole
• 1 Med Onion, Finely diced
• 4-5 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1″ pc Ginger root, minced
• 1-3 Tbs Sambal oelek or 2-3 small fresh red chilies minced
• 2 tsp Cumin seed, ground
• 3 tsp Amchur powder
• 1/2 tsp Tumeric, ground
• 1/2 tsp Chilies or Indian paprika, ground
• 3/4-1 c Tamarind liquid (see method/notes)
• 1 12oz can Stewed or diced tomatoes, or 2 whole tomatoes diced
• 1-4 tsp Palm or brown sugar to taste
• Salt to taste

Method

Part 1: Fish
1. Prepare the fish with an optional 15 minute salt cure (see notes)
2. Cut fish into approximately 1″ cubes and set aside
3. Whisk together remaining marinade ingredients in a medium bowl
4. Add the cubed fish to the marinade and stir lightly to coat
5. Transfer fish and marinade into a plastic bag, remove air and seal
6. Let fish marinate for at least 20 minutes. While the fish marinates prepare vegetables and other ingredients for the curry
7. Setting the fish aside, combine the chana flour, salt and pepper in a shallow soup bowl or similar container
8. Remove fish cubes from bag, wipe off excess marinade, roll in flour mixture to lightly coat
9. In a wok or medium saucepan add cooking oil for shallow frying–approximately 1/4″ deep, and heat over a medium-high element
10. When oil is hot, carefully add the fish cubes (about 6 at a time) and fry on all sides until golden brown
11. Transfer cooked fish pieces on to a plate layered with paper towel to absorb excess oil and place in a warm oven (approximately 175 F)
12. Repeat process until all the fish pieces are cooked

——–
Part 2: Curry

13. Add 1-2 Tbs oil to a wok or deep bottom saucepan and heat over a medium-high element
14. When the oil is hot, add kari leaves, mustard seeds and fenugreek and cook for about 30 seconds until the leaves and mustard seeds stop spitting
15. Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, sauteing until soft or lightly brown (about 10-20 minutes)
16. Add garlic, ginger and sambal and stir for a minute or two
17. Add remaining dry spices and stir for another minute
18. Add tamarind liquid and tomatoes and stir until well combined
19. Reduce heat and let simmer until the tomatoes are well softened and the flavours have combined (about 20 to 30 minutes) adding water as required to prevent the dish from drying out
20. Taste and add sugar as required to balance the sourness of the tamarind
21. After the curry is finished add the fish pieces, stirring gently to combine and heat
22. Serve the dish in a suitably sized bowl

Notes: It took a while to write this one up because of the steps involved, but it’s really less work than it would seem. Salt curing the fish before cooking is an optional step, but one that changes the texture and firms the fish up. I’ll write more about this in a separate post, but essentially it involves lightly covering the fish pieces with kosher or pickling salt, wrapping them in absorbent paper towel or cloth for about 15 minutes, then rinsing the salt off under cold running water. It adds very little salt to the finished dish, but changes the texture and allows the fish soak up any marinade it’s placed in. The tamarind liquid is made by placing 2-3 Tbs of tamarind pulp in a cup of boiling water. Leave it to soften for 5 to 10 minutes before breaking it up with either fingers or a fork, then strain the water and pulp through a fine sieve pushing as much pulp as possible through the sieve. You’ll end up with slightly less volume than you started with, but the result is a delicious sour-sweet liquid called for in many South and Southeast Asian dishes.

Serves 4-6

Aaron

Basic Lamb Curry

Lamb is a bit of a staple in our house. When I see a good deal at our local market I like to take advantage of it. This past Saturday I happened upon a couple of inexpensive lamb shoulder chops marked down by an extra dollar each. My plan was to do them “slow braised” and divide them in four for the family, but a surprise guest (a friend of my daughter) showed up for dinner and I had to extend them to feed five. I decided on going with a simple lamb curry. This killed to birds with one stone, as my daughter has been bugging me to make lamb curry since the last time I prepared it.

Menu

• Lamb Curry (for 5-6)
• Braised carrots with butter and cardamom
• Rice
• Cut watermelon
• Milk for the kids, wine for us

Lamb shoulder chops are highly underrated by most North Americans, who when they hear chops almost exclusively think of the tasty, tender and hellishly expensive loin chops. But shoulder chops are an incredible deal, delivering far more flavour at a fraction of the price. The trick with the shoulder chops (which admittedly are a tougher cut) is a long moist-heat cooking time. As a cooking method, curry is a natural for such cuts–drawing out the rich flavour inherent in the meat, fat and bones.

Recipe: Basic Lamb Curry (Tomato based)

• 2 tsp Cumin seed, ground
• 2 1/2 tsp Coriander seed, ground
• 2-3 tsp Amchur powder (dried green mango)
• 1/2 tsp Tumeric, ground
• 1/2 tsp Indian paprika, ground
• 1 tsp Chilies, ground (optional)
• 1 tsp Cumin seed, whole
• 1 x 2″ pc Cinnamon bark
• 2 Black cardamom,  lightly crushed
• 2-3 Bay leaves
• 1 Tbs Light cooking oil (canola)
• 2-3 Lamb shoulder chops
• 2 med. Onions, diced
• 4-5 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1″ Ginger root, grated
• 2 -3 tsp Sambal oelek (optional)
• 12 oz Can diced tomatoes and juice (or 2 good quality lg fresh tomatoes, chopped)
• Salt
• 2-3 c Water

Method

1. Liberally salt lamb chops on both sides
2. In a large wok or deep heavy bottomed pot, heat oil over medium-high heat
3. When hot, add prepared lamb chops and fry until nicely browned on each side (about 3-4 minutes a side depending on temperature)
4. Remove lamb from pot and set aside to cool
5. Add chopped onion to pot, lowering the heat slightly, and saute
6. While the onion is cooking, chop the lamb into very small pieces, trimming off the fat and reserving the meat and bones
7. Set the meat aside and add the larger bones to the onions, continue cooking until the onions just start to brown
8. Add garlic and ginger (and sambal if using) to pot and saute for a minute or two, stirring to prevent the ginger from sticking to the pot
9. Add dry spices (first six ingredients), plus cinnamon, bay leaves, and cardamom to pan and cook for a minute or more stirring to make sure that the spices cook lightly but don’t burn
10. Add reserved meat, stirring to coat it in the onions and spices
11. Add a cup and a half of water and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pot
12. Add  tomatoes and bring to boil
13. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the lamb begins to soften (20-30 minutes or more)
14. Add water through the cooking process keeping the curry thin enough to simmer the lamb, letting it thickening just prior to serving
15. Salt to taste
16. Remove any bones, bay leaves, cardamom, and cinnamon prior to serving
17. Serve in a large ceramic bowl

Notes: Our dinner guest didn’t strike me as being very heat tolerant so I added very few chilies to the curry. My family members (except for my youngest) suggested that it could use more heat, and were it not for the guest I would have included at least the optional chili based ingredients indicated in the recipe above. Even with these additions it would qualify as a mild heat. As you can see the this curry is tomato based and tends to favour Northern Indian spices–but there are quite probably hundreds of “lamb curry” recipes from across South and Southeast Asia.

Aaron

Curry in a Hurry (sort of)

Another day, another weekday meal.

Thursday’s are family split days. My wife heads off to yoga, while my daughter heads off to art class. I’m usually forced to make at least two separate meals–one before 6:00 pm when my daughter leaves and one after 7:00 pm when my wife returns. Keeping with the family tradition of always eating with at least one other family member, I usually prepare the kids an early meal and my wife and I a late one.

After a quick kids’ meal (today’s was fried ramen), I put on a pot of rice and dropped my daughter off at class. After returning home, I poured myself a drink and set to making a curry. I had chicken backs in the refrigerator,  so I went with that as the base.

Recipe: Andhra Pradesh Chicken

Spice Blend:

• 2 tsp Amchur powder
• 2 tsp Coriander, ground
• 2 tsp Cumin, ground
• 2 tsp Hot Indian paprika (or 1/2 to 1 Tsp dried chilies ground)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg, ground
• 1 tsp Sea salt
• 1 Tsp Tumeric, ground

Marinade

• 3 heaping tsp spice blend
• 1 Tbs Light cooking oil
• 1 tsp White vinegar
• 1 Tbs Brown sugar
• 1/2 Tbs Sambal oelek

Sauce

• 4 Medium to large pieces of chicken, skinless bone in
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1″ pc Ginger, peeled and grated
• 3-4 Tbs light cooking oil (canola)
• 10 Kari (curry) leaves
• 2 Medium onions chopped
• 1/4-1/2 c of finely chopped red bell peppers (or other vegetables)
• 1-2 Tbs Sambal oelek (optional)
• 1 15oz Can of diced tomatoes (or 2 lg tomatoes, chopped)
• 1 c Chicken stock
• Water
• 2 Black cardomen pods, lightly crushed
• 1/2-1 tsp Black pepper, fresh coarsely ground
• 1 tsp Black mustard seeds
• 2 tsp Cumin seeds
• Balance of spice blend

Method:

1. Prepare spice blend
2. If using skin-on chicken remove skin and reserve
3. Mix Marinade ingredients in a small bowl
4. Combine chicken and marinade in a plastic bag, remove excess air and work the bag to distribute marinade evenly over the chicken and marinate for 1-4 hours
5. Remove chicken from bag and grill or BBQ over medium heat until fully cooked (I usually do 10 min. bone side down, 10 min. meat side down and if necessary 5 min bone side down)
6. While chicken is cooking start the sauce
7. In a wok over a medium-high element heat oil
8. Add kari leaves, cumin seed, and mustard seed and saute until the begin to crackle (a minute or two)
9. Add onions and saute until just beginning to brown
10. Add garlic and finely chopped bell peppers if using and saute one to two minutes more
11. Add remaining spice blend, grated ginger, sambal, and cardamon pods and stir for one to two minutes until well combined
12. Add tomatoes and combine
13. Add a little water and a 1/4 c of the stock and bring to a low boil and cook for approximately 20 minutes adjusting heat as required
14. Add stock as required during cooking process to keep the sauce consistent
15. Taste and adjust salt level and acid balance if required (use a very small amount of brown sugar if the sauce is too sour)
16. Add grilled chicken to the wok, coat it in the sauce, and add fresh ground black pepper
17. simmer for five minutes, and serve

Notes: I’ve modified this recipe so much from its original form it bears only a passing resemblance to it–originally it called for cooking the chicken in the sauce and adding much more water to it, but I found the recipe above makes for a much more flavourful and richer curry. The above recipe calls for a long marinating time, but mine only sat in the bag for only 20 minutes while I prepared the vegetables–just do your best. I don’t mention it under the methods section, but if you have reserved chicken skin you can add one or two pieces to the sauce during the cooking process to add some depth–just remove it before serving. If you want to drop the heat level, reduce the amount of sambal and/or substitute Spanish or Hungarian paprika for the Indian Paprika (which is very hot). I would still add a 1/2 teaspoon or so of the ground chilies, as the flavour is essential for this dish. Keep in mind that the spice blend shown is more or less a personal preference. You can use garam masala in place of the cinnamon, nutmeg, amchur powder and some of the ground cumin and coriander if that’s your preference as well–I don’t because I find the cloves used in most garam masala to be too much for the chicken.

Tip: Always add fresh ground black pepper to a dish in the last ten minutes or less of cooking to preserve its delicate fresh flavour.

This dish serves four. Pair with a dry Belgium style blond ale (i.e. Fin-de-Monde) or a crisp spicy Indian lager (i.e. Kingfisher).

Adapted from Das Sreedharan, Indian Shortcuts to Success, “Marinated chicken with hot pepper sauce,” pp. 128-129, 2005.

Aaron