Recipe of the week: MiMi Aye's fried fish curry
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Fragrant, warming and very fresh!
“This dish is usually made with fish ‘steaks’, aka cutlets, but it is just as good with fillets or whole fish,” explains food writer MiMi Aye.
“The type of fish doesn’t really matter either, as the luscious, spicy sauce is the thing, so it works equally well with, say, cod or salmon.”
Ingredients (serves 2-4)
For the fish
1tsp salt
2tbsp plain flour
1tsp ground turmeric
½tbsp chicken or vegetable bouillon
1 whole sea bream or sea bass, or 4 basa or catfish slices (sold frozen in Asian supermarkets)
120ml groundnut oil, plus an extra 2tbsp
(you could use another neutral-tasting oil)
For the sauce
4 medium onions, sliced thinly
Third of a standard tin of chopped tomatoes (about 135g)
3 fresh tomatoes, diced
1tbsp fish sauce
1tbsp chicken or vegetable bouillon
For the garnish
2 finger chillies
Handful of coriander leaves, chopped
Rice to serve
Method
1. Mix the salt, flour, turmeric and bouillon in a large dish, then add the fish. Turn the fish over in the seasonings, making sure it is thoroughly coated. Heat the 120ml of oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat until sizzling, then carefully add the fish. Fry for two to three minutes on each side. Remove the fish using a slotted spoon and set to one side on a dish.
2. In the same wok, heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil over a high heat and add the sauce ingredients. Fry for five minutes, tossing and stirring regularly. Turn the heat down to medium-high and continue to fry for another 10 minutes. Add the fish and the chillies, and toss gently in the sauce. Dish up on a platter, scatter the coriander leaves on top and serve with rice.
Mandalay: Recipes and Tales from a Burmese Kitchen by MiMi Aye, photography, Cristian Barnett. Available now from Bloomsbury, £26.