Fish in coconut milk (Macher Malaikari)

I don’t always think of using fish in a curry but it takes such a short time to cook it makes a brilliantly quick meal.

This recipe comes from Asma Khan’s Asma’s Indian Kitchen which features the same traditional Indian Home cooking she serves at her London restaurant Darjeeling Express.

Asma writes: “For a long time I was under the impression that the name of this dish derived from the Hindi word ‘malai’, meaning cream. Recently, however, I discovered that the origin of this creamy, coconut-based fish curry may be a little more ‘foreign’. During colonial rule, this dish was made in the Malay Peninsula by Bengali labourers who were sent there by the British to build the railways. Coconut milk is frequently used in East Asian cuisine, but rarely in Bengali dishes. The fact that this dish was once called ‘Malaya-Kari’ explains the use of coconut milk, as opposed to mustard and mustard oil, which is the more common base for fish and seafood dishes in Bengal.

Serves 4

4 halibut, plaice or tilapia fillets (approximately 750 g/1 lb 10 oz)

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 large white onions, thinly sliced into half moons

1 tbsp garlic paste

1½ tbsp fresh ginger paste

¼ tsp chilli powder

1 tbsp tomato purée (tomato paste)

1 x 400-ml/14-fl oz tin full-fat coconut milk

A pinch of sugar

To garnish

Green chillies, finely sliced

Coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped

Place the fish fillets on a plate, sprinkle over half the ground turmeric and half the salt and rub into the fillets. Leave for a minimum of 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.

In a heavy-based frying pan (skillet), heat the oil over a medium–high heat.

Add the sliced onions to the pan and fry gently, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions from the pan, leaving as much of the oil in the pan as possible to cook the other ingredients, and place on a plate to drain. Spread the onions across the plate so they crisp as they cool.

You should have enough oil left in the pan to fry the fish; if not, add another 1 tbsp vegetable oil. In the same pan, flash-fry the fish fillets for 20–30 seconds on both sides to seal. Do not allow the fish to cook.

Remove the fish from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Keeping the heat at medium–high, add the garlic and ginger pastes to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the remaining ground turmeric and the chilli powder. If the pastes stick to the base of the pan, sprinkle over some water. Add the tomato purée, 4 tbsp warm water, the remaining salt and the fried onions, then cook for few minutes until the oil has seeped to the edges of the pan.

Return the fish fillets to the pan and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk, then immediately remove the pan from the heat and carefully turn each fillet over. Taste the coconut milk and adjust the seasoning with sugar or salt as necessary. Before serving, garnish with sliced green chillies and chopped coriander.

What to drink: I’d go for a crisp dry white wine like an albarino with this or a dry riesling.

This recipe comes from ‘Asma’s Indian Kitchen: Home-cooked food brought to you by Darjeeling Express’ by Asma Khan, published by Pavilion Books. Image credit to Kim Lightbody.

Puttanesca-style salmon bake

A super-tasty, easy recipe from Ottolenghi’s fabulous new book Ottolenghi Comfort (which you can also find on his YouTube channel if you want to see it being made.

If you make the tomato anchovy oil a day ahead, you can then delight in the fact that a midweek supper can be on the table within 20 minutes. (Although if you’ve got a little longer prep time it won’t take that long for the anchovy oil to cool FB)

The fuss-free cooking method – all hail the traybake! – plus the dialled-up flavours – all hail puttanesca! – makes such a winning combination.

Serves 4-6

200g fine green beans, trimmed

6 spring onions, cut widthways into thirds (75g)

200g mixed cherry tomatoes, halved

6 skin-on salmon fillets (about 720g)

salt and black pepper

Tomato anchovy oil

85ml olive oil

8 anchovies, finely chopped (25g)

2½ tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp chilli flakes

2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly bashed in a mortar

8 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

2 preserved lemons, flesh and pips discarded, skin finely chopped (20g)

2 tsp maple syrup

Salsa

60g pitted Kalamata olives, halved

60g capers, roughly chopped

1 preserved lemon, flesh and pips discarded, skin thinly sliced (10g)

10g basil leaves, roughly chopped

10g parsley leaves, roughly chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice

First make the tomato anchovy oil. Put the oil, anchovies and tomato paste into a small sauté pan and place on a medium heat. Once the mixture starts to simmer, cook for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the chilli flakes and coriander seeds and cook for another minute, until fragrant. Remove from the heat and add the garlic, preserved lemon and maple syrup. Stir to combine, then set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 220°C fan.

Place the beans, spring onions and tomatoes on a large, parchment-lined baking tray. Drizzle over 3 tablespoons of the tomato anchovy oil, along with ¼ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Toss to combine and place in the oven for 12–13 minutes, until the beans and tomatoes are starting to soften and taking on a little colour. Meanwhile, arrange the salmon fillets on a plate and, using a spoon, drizzle the remaining tomato anchovy oil (as well as all the solids) evenly over the fillets. Once the beans and tomatoes have had their time in the oven, nestle the salmon fillets among them and bake for a further 8 minutes. Set aside for 5 minutes, out of the oven, to rest.

While the salmon is baking, mix all the ingredients for the salsa in a small bowl and season with a good grind of pepper. Spoon half the salsa over the salmon and serve the fish warm (or at room temperature, which works just as well), with the rest of the salsa in a bowl on the side.

What to drink: You could drink a punchy white like a sauvignon blanc with this but I’m liking the thought of a bright juicy red - such as a basic Sicilian or Portuguese red. 

Extracted from Comfort by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley. published by Ebury Press. 

Bhutte ka kees with prawns

This recipe comes from winemaker Corlea Fourie. It’s like a spicy, corn porridge which she and her husband Bertus serve with grilled prawns as part of a braai (barbecue)

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 3-4 (multiply as needed)

Ingredients:

• 3 large corn cobs
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger piece grated
• Pinch of asafoetida
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• grated fresh coconut for garnishing
• Salt to taste

12 large raw shell and head-on prawns

Method:

1. Remove the husk from the corn cobs and grate the kernels or cut them off with a sharp knife and pulse them in a food processor. (You could also use frozen corn.)
2. Heat the ghee in a cast iron pan on medium flame. Add mustard seeds to it. Once the seeds splutter, add the cumin seeds and allow them to crackle. Next tip in the green chilies and grated ginger. Sauté for few seconds. Now move to cooler coals and add asafoetida and turmeric powder.
3. Add the grated or chopped corn along with their milk, if any. Mix well and stir-fry the corn mixture on low flame for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add coconut milk to the corn mixture followed by salt and sugar. Mix well and cover the cooking mixture for 15-20 minutes. Keep stirring the mixture in between to ensure the mixture has the right consistency.
5. Lastly, add lemon juice to the bhutte ka kees and garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and grated coconut.
6. Brush or spray the shell-on prawns lightly with oil and grill then on the barbecue for about 4-5 minutes until pink, turning them half way through*. Place them on top of the bhutte ka Kees to serve. Garnish each plate with fresh coriander leaves and grated coconut.

*you could also cook them in a wok

What to drink: Corlea suggests an orange wine, their 2019 Fides skin contact grenache blanc which you can buy from Woodwinters. An old vine chenin blanc or chardonnay would work well too.

Spaghetti with Almond Cream, Fresh Crab, Chilli and Marjoram

I've been pouring over the pages of Ben Tish's lovely book Sicilia - it has a really good selection of pasta recipes - and a friend and I decided to give this one a go. We didn't have whole almonds so we substituted ground almonds which made the sauce a bit gritty so follow Ben's recipe and don't make the same mistake!

Ben writes: Nut-thickened sauces and ‘creams’ are very popular in parts of Sicily. Nuts are natural thickeners and packed with flavour.

I first came across a pasta dish similar to this when traveling through the Aeolian islands one summer. An idyllic beach side café had just a couple of pasta options and the one that took my fancy was a spaghetti with almond sauce served with tiny wild mussels that were an ocean in every bite. I think there may have been lemon too. It couldn’t have been more idyllic for the time and place. This is my version.

Serves 4

100g blanched almonds

300ml full-fat milk

400g dried spaghetti

extra virgin olive oil for cooking

2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

50g brown crab meat

100g fresh white crab meat, picked over to remove any shell or cartilage

juice of 1 lemon

a handful of marjoram leaves

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the almonds and milk in a saucepan and set aside to soak for 30 minutes. Then bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Pour into a blender and blitz to a smooth sauce consistency. Season and reserve.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the packet instructions.

Meanwhile, add a lug of oil to a large saut. pan and gently heat, then add the chillies and fry lightly to soften. Now pour in the almond sauce and stir in the brown and white crab meat. Squeeze in some lemon juice and check the seasoning.

When the pasta is cooked, transfer it to the almond sauce using tongs. Drizzle in some olive oil and add a ladle of the pasta water.

Stir the pasta through with the tongs, ensuring the strands are all coated. If the sauce is too thick add more pasta water and continue to stir or toss through.

Transfer the pasta to warmed bowls (doing this with tongs gives a neat presentation) and sprinkle over the marjoram, then serve immediately.

What to drink: Given this is a Sicilian-inspired recipe it would seem perverse not to drink a Sicilian wine with it - I'd suggest a Carricante but most of Italy's dry whites like Falanghina or vermentino would work too. Or maybe, from up in the north, a Soave or Bianco di Custoza which have almondy notes of their own.

Sicilia by Ben Tish (Bloomsbury Publishing, £26) is out now. Photography by Kris Kirkham.