Simple Fish Head Curry

This Fish Head Curry has a full-bodied, rich and creamy gravy with a slight sourness that enhances the natural sweetness and oiliness of the grouper fish head. Some vegetables, such as tomatoes and okra, were added for additional fibre and sweetness.

Although it sounds intimidating to cook, this simple recipe will make you think otherwise. Ready in 30 minutes, this dish is perfect for the family dinner. Serve with some fluffy white rice, bread or roti for a complete meal!

Serves 8-10 adults.

Ingredients

• Fish head, in which the fresher it is, the better it will taste. I used a Grouper fish head that was super fresh from the supermarket – with clear eyes and bright pink flesh. As it was quite big, I had the staff help me cut it into smaller pieces for the curry.
• Curry Powder, which is a ready-made blend of powdered spices. There are many types of curry powder for different meats; I used Fish Curry Powder as it has a more tangy flavour compared to other meats.

• Shallots for sweetness.
• Garlic
• Ginger, to help in reducing the fishiness in the curry.
• Chilli Powder, for added spiciness. Adjust to taste.

• Water, as the gravy and to boil the fish head.
• Cooking oil, to fry the spices and activate their aroma.
• Cinnamon stick, for a light, earthy sweetness.
• Star anise, which adds a spicy sweetness.
• Cloves, add an earthy flavour profile to the gravy.
• Mixed spices, or “halba campur” in Malay, which add complexity to the gravy.

• Curry leaves, adds an intense sweet curry fragrance to the curry gravy and oil.
• Coconut milk with cream – makes the gravy really creamy and adds body to it.
• Tamarind slices, or asam keping, for added sourness to boost appetite, and mask the fishiness.
• Salt, to marinate the fish and for the curry.
• Sugar, to mellow down the spiciness and sourness.
• Tomato, as a vegetable for the curry.
• Okra, or lady’s fingers, as a vegetable for the curry.
• Cilantro leaves, for garnishing

Steps

Here are the brief steps to make Fish Head Curry:

1. Marinate the fish.
2. Blend the herbs to make the curry paste.
3. Fry the dried spices and curry leaves.
4. Fry and reduce the curry paste until thick.

5. Mix in the coconut milk.
6. Stir in the asam keping.
7. Cook fish head pieces when gravy is boiling vigorously.
8. Taste and adjust.

9. Add the vegetables to cook them.
10. Taste and adjust.
11. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
12. Serve immediately or let it rest for 1-2 hours before serving.

Tips

• Salting the fish in 2 parts helps to evenly distribute it.
• As the curry powder absorbs excess moisture easily, more water can be added to help with the blending.
• Be careful when adding curry leaves, especially after washing them, as the hot oil tends to splash violently.
• To prevent the curry paste from burning at the bottom of the wok, make sure to stir often.
• The surface of the fish pieces should be well cooked before stirring or moving them to reduce the fishy water from being released into the curry.
• If there is tons of gravy left over, it can be used as a base for the next fish curry! Simply bring it to a rolling boil, and submerge the new fish pieces. Cover and let it braise until the fish pieces are fully cooked. Voila!
• Make sure to watch the video to see exactly how I made it!

Storage Instructions

As it is with curries, this Fish Head Curry dish can be kept in a clean, air-tight container, in the fridge for up to 3 days. The gravy and fish meat will mature as time passes, bringing a stronger more intense flavour overnight. However, as contains coconut milk, I recommend consuming it by the 3rd day.

Once completely cooled, it can be kept frozen in the freezer for about 1 month. The vegetables, particularly the okra may become limp, so additional okra can be added once the curry has thawed and is boiling vigorously when heating it up.

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Easy Fish Head Curry

Somjit Najaireeb

Full-bodied, rich and creamy with a slight sourness – this Fish Head Curry is delicious as it is easy to make for dinner. It takes about 30 minutes from start to finish; with the added bonus that it can be made ahead of time. The flavourful gravy goes super well with any rice and roti – super good!

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Resting Time 2 hrs

Total Time 40 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 10

Calories 651 kcal

Equipment

• Blender
• Wok
• Turner
• Sharp Kitchen Knife
• Chopping Board

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg fish head pieces
• 1/2 tbsp salt, to marinate the fish
• 200 ml cooking oil, unscented
• 1 cinnamon stick, washed
• 3 star anise, washed
• 8 cloves, washed
• 1 tsp mixed spices, halba campur
• 5 stems curry leaves, rinsed
• 1.5 L coconut milk
• 4 dried tamarind slices, asam keping
• 1/8 tsp salt, optional, to taste
• 1/2 tbsp sugar, optional, to taste
• 240 g okra
• 10 g cilantro, chopped, for garnishing

Curry Paste

• 230 g shallots, peeled and washed
• 35 g garlic, peeled and washed
• 35 g ginger
• 1/2 tbsp chilli powder
• 70 g fish curry powder
• 200 ml water
• 75 ml water, optional
• 200 g tomatoes, cut to wedges

Instructions

 

• Prepare the ingredients.
• Marinate the fish head pieces with 1/2 tbsp of salt in two parts. Rub each piece carefully and thoroughly to distribute the salt each time. Set it aside.
• Blend together the shallots, garlic, ginger, chilli powder, fish curry powder, and 200ml of water until well combined. Add another 75ml of water if necessary to help with the blending. Set it aside.
• Heat the cooking oil in a large wok over medium heat until warm. Add the cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves to the wok. Stir fry for 30 seconds, or until very fragrant.
• Add the mixed spices (halba campur), and stir fry for 10 seconds, or until its aroma is released.
• Strip the curry leaves and add them to the oil. Stir fry until a sweet aroma is released.
• Pour the blended curry paste into the wok, scraping the sides. Stir fry continuously until the cooking oil and the curry paste are well combined.
• An optional step: reduce the heat to low, and pour 200ml of coconut milk into the blender. Swirl it to get the stubborn bits off the walls of the blender, before pouring it all into the wok. Set the heat to medium-high again.
• Continue stirring the curry paste for 8-10 minutes, or until it becomes thick and dry; to the point that it stays stuck to the turner when lifted.
• Add the (rest of the) coconut milk. Stir and mix until well combined.
• Add the asam keping and stir to combine.
• Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the curry to a boil. Stir to mix often to prevent the paste from burning at the bottom of the wok.
• Once the curry is boiling vigorously, submerge each piece of fish head, with placing the biggest in the center. Avoid stirring or moving the fish pieces as much as possible. Cover the wok and braise for 6 minutes. In between, gently push the curry paste under fish pieces to prevent burning.
• After 6 minutes, carefully arrange the fish so they are cooked evenly.
• Taste and adjust. I added 1/8 tsp of salt and 1/2 tbsp of sugar.
• Add the tomatoes and okra, without submerging them. Cover the wok and cook for 1.5 minutes by steaming them.
• Open the cover and give the vegetables a stir. Cover the wok and cook for another 1.5 minutes for crunchy okra, or 3-4 minutes for soft okra.
• Stir the curry. Taste and adjust.
• Switch off the heat.
• Tear fresh cilantro leaves and garnish the wok.
• Let it rest for about 2 hours, or serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Tips

• Salting the fish in 2 parts helps to evenly distribute it.
• As the curry powder absorbs excess moisture easily, more water can be added to help with the blending.
• Be careful when adding curry leaves, especially after washing them, as the hot oil tends to splash violently.
• To prevent the curry paste from burning at the bottom of the wok, make sure to stir often.
• The surface of the fish pieces should be well cooked before stirring or moving them to reduce the fishy water from being released into the curry.
• If there is tons of gravy left over, it can be used as a base for the next fish curry! Simply bring it to a rolling boil, and submerge the new fish pieces. Cover and let it braise until the fish pieces are fully cooked. Voila!
• Make sure to watch the video to see exactly how I made it!

Nutrition

Calories: 651kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 27gFat: 53gSaturated Fat: 26gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 454mgPotassium: 758mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 175IUVitamin C: 39mgCalcium: 161mgIron: 3mg

Keyword curry, easy, fish head, fresh fish

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