Mas riha (Fish curry 5)

 

I have tried almost all the fish curry recipes in all the local cookbooks that I own. Finally gave Zareena's fish curry recipe in her cookbook Dhivehi Kaana. One thing I have realised is that our curries can be very technical.

There is the browning of onions and other flavourings, removing them and setting them aside. Flavouring the thick coconut milk with onions, garlic and ginger. Cooking the basic curry first and then adding all the premade flavourings. The result is this flavourful curry that goes very well with local flatbread. As you know, we like to tear our flatbread and add ladles of curry to enjoy it like that.

Recipe adapted from Mas riha recipe by Zareena Ibrahim Didi from her book Dhivehi Kaana II

Recipe: Mas riha ( Fish curry)

Serves 4-5

Ingredients: 

• 1 small fillet tuna 
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 inch ginger grated
• 3 large cloves of garlic, 4 if small, 
• 1/4 piece of scotch bonnet pepper
• 6 bilimbi, quatered or 1/2 small green mango or 1/2 tsp tamarind puree
• 2 1/2 tsp Maldivian roasted curry powder (hanaakuri havaadhu)
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 4 cardamom pods
• 3 cloves
• 1" piece cinnamon
• small pinch of fenugreek (oabaiy)
• 8 curry leaves
• 8-inch pandan leaf, cut into large pieces
• 500 ml thin coconut milk (see note below)
• 1/3 cup (about 80ml) thick coconut milk ( see note below)
• salt
• 1 tablespoon ghee or  2 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Add a small handful of sliced onion, ginger and 1 grated garlic into the thick coconut milk, cover and set aside.
2. Grate the remaining garlic and set aside. 
3. Cut the fish into small cubes, and set aside. 
4. In a small pan suitable to make curry, add ghee or oil and place on stove top over medium heat. Add the remaining sliced onion, pandan leaf, curry leaves, cardamon, cloves and cinnamon and stir fry until the onions caramelise. Switch off the heat and remove the onion mixture to a plate.
5. In the same pan, add the fish, remaining garlic, bilimbi or any of the souring agents you are using, curry powder, chilli powder, turmeric and thin coconut milk. 
6. Place on stove top over low heat, bring to a slow boil and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in salt to your taste. 
7. Stir in the flavoured thick coconut milk and the fried onion mixture and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. 
8. Switch off and enjoy with roshi (flatbread)

*Note : 

I don't usually extract coconut milk from fresh coconut I use shortcuts using packed coconut milk or coconut milk powders to make my thin and thick coconut milk. To make this particular curry I used coconut milk powder. So for 500 ml thin milk, I used 2 tbsp coconut milk powder mixed into 500 ml water. For thick milk, I mixed 2 tbsp coconut milk with 1/3 cup water.

If using packed coconut milk I would suggest mixing 100 ml coconut milk with 400 ml water for thin milk and using straight from the packet for thick milk. 

Other varieties of fish can also be used instead of tuna.