Curry Corner’s Monkfish in Saffron Cream Curry
Posted: May 9, 2010 at 7:34 pm
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the Masala onion concentrate:
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh garlic and ginger paste
- 4 cardamom pods
- About 3 cloves
- 1 piece of whole cinnamon
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 4 medium sized onions, finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground cumin
- 1 tsp freshly ground coriander
- 1 turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder (mild)
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 whole peeled plum tomatoes
For the basmati rice:
- 200g basmati rice, washed and drained
- 1 tbsp pure vegetable ghee
- 1 tsp garlic and ginger paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 inch piece cinnamon
- 3 cloves
- 3 cardamom pods
- Pinch of fennel seeds
- Pinch of salt
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 265ml water approx, to cover rice
- Pinch of dried red chilli flakes (optional)
- Pinch of dried rose petals (optional)
- 4 silver coated cardamom pods (optional)
For the monkfish:
- 740g fresh monkfish fillets, 185g per person, cut into 4 pieces
- Olive oil for frying
- Pinch of ajwain seeds
- Pinch of fennel seeds
- Pinch freshly ground black mustard seeds
For the saffron cream curry:
- 4 spring onions, finely chopped
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- 8 tbsp freshly ground coconut
- 100ml double cream
- 100ml milk
- 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
- Small pinch saffron
- 2 drops screwpine flower essence
- 8 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
For the garnish:
- Freshly ground coconut
- Red amaranth and micro red veined sorrel leaves to garnish
Method: How to make monkfish in saffron cream curry with basmati pilau rice
1. For the masala onion curry concentrate base, get a medium saucepan and place it on fairly high heat, add olive oil, garlic and ginger paste, whole spices and brown for a minute to release flavour then lower the heat, add onion and salt and cook until soft. Once the onion is soft, add the ground spices, stirring constantly to ensure spices do not burn. Add the tomato puree and peeled plum tomatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes until evenly browned and the spices are aromatic and cooked through.
2. For the basmati pilau rice, heat vegetable ghee and then add garlic and ginger paste with the whole spices and pinch of salt and cook for approximately 1 minute until garlic and ginger is starting to brown and release an aromatic smell, then add finely chopped onion and fry until light brown. Add the rinsed basmati rice to the pan and stir into the fragrant onion spice mix, making sure that the rice is well coated. Pour over enough water to cover the rice, season with a pinch of dried chilli flakes and add the rose petals and silver coated cardamom if using. Heat the water until it starts boiling and cook with the lid on until there is no excess water in the pan. Lower the heat and simmer with the lid on for approximately 10 minutes, keep checking the rice to ensure that it is not overcooked.
3. For the monkfish, heat a small amount of olive oil in a frying pan on a high heat. Add just a small pinch of ajwain seeds (remember the flavour is very strong), followed by a pinch of fennel and a pinch of mustard seeds and heat to release the flavour. Fry the spices for only a few seconds as they may catch and burn easily. Quickly add the monkfish, sear on all sides to lock in the flavour then immediately remove monkfish pieces from the pan.
4. For the saffron cream curry, put the frying pan back on the heat. Add the masala onion concentrate to the frying pan with the spring onions, kaffir lime leaves, freshly ground coconut, cream, milk, cherry tomatoes and a pinch of saffron to infuse in the sauce. Cook on a medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, all ingredients must be cooked through properly and the milk and cream reduced by half. Once the saffron cream sauce is reduced by half and the flavours have infused, add the monkfish fillets back into the pan and add a couple of drops of screwpine flower essence, chopped coriander and warm through for a minute.
5. To serve add cooked rice to a small bowl and mould into a small dome, turn out into the centre of a large bowl, spoon the monkfish cream curry around the rice, garnish with fresh coconut, red amaranth and red veined sorrel leaves and serve.