In Sindh, Pakistan there are a few famous kinds of fish. The first is of course “palla” or Hilsa fish and the second is “Kurudi” for which I cannot find an English name. The former is found in the Indus River and slowly approaching extinction due to over farming. Both fish are cooked traditionally in a gravy/curry and served with rice or chapati/naan.
Here is the thing about Pakistani Sindhi Style Fish Curry – It is time consuming with multiple steps. Before you close this recipe and exit, let me tell you that I would cook it over and over again, because it is SO WORTH IT.
What kind of fish should I use for this fish curry?
So here is the thing.. we don’t get any of the fish this curry is typically made with. So what do you make it with? Whatever fish you like! I prefer a white fish fillet like basa or sole that cooks fast and has a fairly mild flavour profile. I have also tried this with salmon and that has a more distinct fish taste but delicious regardless!
What are the steps in this recipe?
Here is the thing – there are a bunch of spices in this recipe and it is the easiest to set out your spices in different plates according to the different sub-headings!
Dry Roast Spices
yes, do not skip this step. Make sure you dry roast the fennel, corriander seed, ajwain, and whole cumin seeds and crush them in a mortar and pestle. This spice blend is used in three different steps to infuse in flavour that you will miss out on otherwise. It is used to marinate the fish, add flavour after the masala is pureed, and lastly during the final step of “dum”.
Fish Marination Spices
This is an easy step not to be missed. Set out your marination spices in a separate bowl and plate, adding in some of the dry roasted spices and rub them onto your fish fillets. Let this marinate while you cook the gravy
Curry Spices
The curry comes together in a few steps – browned onions, tomatoes and spices all melded together and then pureed for a smooth curry. The dry roasted spices are also added in this step infusing an amazing flavour profile that you will not regret!
Dum Spices
In this curry, there is the element of “dum” which literally means adding some spices and covering and letting the flavours meld in the final moments of the recipe!
If you are still up for this, keep reading and I promise you wont be disappointed!
Pakistani Sindhi Style Fish Curry
Course: MainCuisine: PakistaniDifficulty: Medium20
minutes30
minutesIngredients
- Fish
10 fillets of white fish (e.g. basa, sole)
- Dry Roasting Spices
1 teaspoon whole corriander seed
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon Ajwain
- Fish Marination Spices
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
2 teaspoon dried corriander powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon salt
- Gravy
1/2 cup oil
5 onions chopped length wise
2 tomatoes chopped
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pink salt
1 teaspoon red kashmiri chilli powder
2 teaspoon dried corriander powder
1 cup yogurt stirred – room temperature
1 cup water (or more depending on how much gravy you would like)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon fenugreek/kasuri methi
4 green chillies -whole
1/2 tablespoon butter
Directions
- Combine spices for marination of fish and rub on fish for marination. Leave while you prep the other steps
- Dry roast the dry roasting spices on a warm pan. Crush in a mortar and pestel. Save half for later. Sprinkle a pinch on the marinated fish.
- Heat oil in a wok
- Once oil is warm, add in onions and brown on medium heat until golden brown.
- Add in ginger, garlic, and tomatoes and cook until tomatoes soften
- Once tomatoes have softened, transfer masala to your blender and blend until smooth.
- In the remaining oil in the wok, add the dry roasted masala in the oil (reserve a 1/2 teaspoon for the end) and mix for a minute. Add in the pureed tomato/onion paste back into the pan.
- Add in the spices listed under gravy, 1 cup of water, and yogurt.
- Cover the gravy and let it cook until the oil separates from the gravy.
- Then add in your fish – carefully dropping in each piece
- Add any additional water to the gravy at this point – I added approximately 1-2 cups
- Cover the pot with the lid and let it cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes.
- After 10-12 minutes, add in 4 whole green chillies and remaining dry roasted spices (1/2 teaspoon), fenugreek and 1/2 tablespoon butter
- Cover the pot again and leave it on low heat for 5 minutes
- Enjoy with a side of naan or white basmati rice
There you have it.. I hope you’ll try this recipe and let me know what you think in the comments or tag me in your remake on Instagram! This recipe tastes amazing with rice especially a delish peas pilaf
PIN THIS POST FOR LATER
Tried this recipe exactly how it was supposed to be…as someone who grew up eating Pakistani food and have been cooking for over 20 years…there is A LOT Of room for improvement. The amount of onions was just too many, and mostly these Pakistani salans need to have a little bit smoother touch to the gravy, even though we blended all the onions/tomatoes etc…it was TOO thick. I had to up almost all the spices. Unfortunately will not be making this again.