Blanche Vaughan's perfect Keralan kingfish and green mango curry
Travelling can be about absorbing and learning different things, but sometimes it's about seeing things in a new way when you come back, too. Eating in Kerala in southern India over this New Year introduced me to a world of fragrant spices, delicate curries, rich with creamy coconut, crisp dosa pancakes and cool chutneys.
Back in London there are a few great places to eat this kind of food, but more importantly, there are lots of places to buy the raw ingredients. I realise Asian shops aren't on everyone's doorsteps so if you can't get hold of drumsticks, you could use very young broad beans, cooked in their pods and eaten whole. (A good online source for spices is thespicery.com)
This time, I found most of my ingredients in Shepherd's Bush market, and not just in Indian shops, many Caribbean's stock these things, too. Spikey, long green drumsticks which cook to a tenderness so you can suck out the fleshy inside. Slightly tart green mangoes and creamy coconut to balance the tangy sourness of tamarind. They even had the same firm, meaty kingfish we'd found at the bustling Keralan harbour fish market.
At home in my kitchen, I recreated one of the best dishes I'd eaten there, which a local cook had shown me how to make, and for a moment, I was back in India again.
DRUMSTICK, GREEN MANGO AND KINGFISH CURRY
For the fish:
2 limes
About 400-500g kingfish (or other white meaty fish) cut into pieces
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
Sea salt
For the curry:
Coconut oil, or light olive oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds, ground
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
2-3 green chillies (depending on strength), finely chopped
2 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tsp coriander seeds, lightly toasted and ground
½ tin chopped tomatoes
1 green mango, peeled and cut into small pieces
4-6 drumsticks, cut into pieces
250ml coconut milk
As I learnt from the Indian cooks, it's all about mis en place. Get everything chopped up and ready beforehand, then enjoy standing over the pot, stirring things in and the scent of the spices as the curry develops.
Marinate the fish in a bowl with the juice of the limes, the turmeric, chilli powder and some salt and set aside.
In a large pan, heat the oil and gently fry the mustard seeds until they start to crackle and pop. Add the fenugreek and the onion and cook gently until it starts to soften. Add some salt and the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook together for a few more minutes until everything is soft.
Put the tamarind in a bowl and pour over some boiling water to soak and soften it.
Add the ground coriander to the onion mixture and the chopped tomato. Season well and cook together for a few minutes before adding the mango, drumstick pieces and drained, soaked tamarind and enough water to almost cover. Stir well and cook everything together until the drumsticks begin to soften. (They have a very fibrous outside and will remain firm, but the insides will become soft). Finally add the coconut milk and cook everything together for a few minutes, tasting for seasoning.
Add the fish and let it cook in the rich sauce until it is just done, then turn off the heat and let it sit for a minute of two to absorb the rest of the flavours.
Delicious served with coconut rice.