SRI LANKAN RED CHILLI FISH CURRY(THALAPATH MALU MIRISATA).

SRI LANKAN

RED CHILLI FISH CURRY

(THALAPATH MALU MIRISATA).

Please make sure to read the recipe instructions carefully to avoid mistakes.

Ingredients

Ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

4 goraka pieces

A handful of curry leaves(used for both spice paste and curry)

2-inch ginger piece

4 cloves of Garlic

5 shallots

1-inch cinnamon piece

2 tablespoons of chilli powder(1/2 teaspoon more if you can handle it)

4-6 peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder

2 medium-sized green chilli whole

2-3 inch Pandan leaf

500g of fresh Thalapath(sailfish)but any firm fish with or without skin would do.

1 and 1/2 cup of water

Method

In 1/4 cup of water soak the goraka pieces for 10 minutes(don’t throw the water when done).

Wash the firm chunks of fish thoroughly in water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. twice would be sufficient.

Squeeze excess water from goraka and place it in a mortar with garlic, ginger, some curry leaves, shallots, cinnamon, chili powder, turmeric, peppercorns, salt to season.

Pound all ingredients until you have a coarse paste.

Place the chunks of fish in a medium-sized cooking pan, rub the spice paste over the fish chunks thoroughly, add 1 tablespoon of water to the mortar and collect all the remaining spices in it and pour this to the marinating fish as well. 

Marinate the fish for 10 minutes.

Once the fish is marinated, place the pan over medium heat, add the pandan leaf, leftover curry leaves and green chilli to the pan followed by the water used to soak the goraka, cook for five minutes. 

Add water until it just covers the fish, cover with a lid and let the curry simmer over low heat.

Try not to stir the gravy with a spoon if you feel the fish needs to be covered with the gravy, hold the pan on both sides with heat pads and slowly tilt and swirl the pan so the gravy moves over the fish, season with Salt if necessary.

Cook for 20-30 minutes until gravy reduces and slightly thickens.

The gravy would not be thick or creamy as when you cook with coconut milk but turns to a deep color than it was, to begin with.

Serve warm with your favorite rice and curry dishes.