Kerala Style Fish Stew with Salmon

Ingredients:

15 cashew nuts
1 lb fish (salmon preferred)
2 Tbsp oil or butter
5 cloves
4-5 cardamon, lightly crushed
1 bay leaf or 1 cinnamon stick
1 onion, finely chopped
7-8 curry leaves
5 thinly sliced garlic cloves
1/2 thumb sized knob of ginger
7-8 green chiles, slit
1/4-1/2 tsp turmeric
1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 to 3/4 cup coconut milk plus 1/2 to 1 cup water, mixed well
Salt to taste
1/4 to 1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 -1 tsp black peppercorns
1 cup canned coconut milk
Optional: 1-2 Tbsp coconut oil/ghee/butter
Cashew nuts
raisins

Instructions:

Soak cashew nut in water for 15 minutes . Clean Salmon fillet and cut into big chunky pieces Heat oil in a wide mouthed pan and add cloves , cardamom and bay leaf and fry for a minute. Add curry leaves and onion and saute for 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle some water if needed in between. Add chopped garlic , and ginger and green chili and saute till the raw smell disappears. Add turmeric , coconut milk + water mix , salt to taste and combine well.

Arrange fish and tomato pieces in a single layer an inch apart , cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Uncover the pan , add garam masala and freshly crushed black pepper , mix in gently or shake the pan for the masala to get mixed in and cook covered for another 10 minutes or so.

Grind the soaked cashew nut with a lil coconut milk to a fine paste. Mix it with remaining coconut milk Uncover the pan , add the coconut milk- cashew mix to the pan , let heat through for a minute and remove.

Prepare the tempering and pour over the stew. Let it stand covered for at least 15 minutes before serving

Notes :- This is a very mildly flavored curry – If you want it to be more spicy add more spices The gravy depends a lot on the kind of cooking pan you use( wide or deep ), so adjust the coconut milk- water qty accordingly I prefer not to keep it for the next day , since its so full of coconut milk.

Serves 4.

From vazhayila.com