How to Cook Penang Fish Curry

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make Penang Fish Curry:

• 2 lb 4 oz white fish fillets, skinned and chopped into 1 1/4’’ pieces
• 15 Thai shallots, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 large bell pepper, deseeded and chopped into 1 ¼ chunks
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, deseeded and chopped into 1 ¼ chunks
• 5 ½ oz pea aubergines, rinsed
• 2 lemongrass stalks
• 7 oz mangtout, trimmed and rinsed
• Handful of Thai basil, leaves picked and roughly torn
• Handful of fresh cilantro, leaves picked
• 8 fresh kaffir lime leaves, washed
• 2 cans (5 ¾ oz each) coconut cream
• 14 o coconut milk
• 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
• 4 tbsp Thai yellow curry paste
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil

Cooking instructions for Penang Fish Curry:

• Heat oil in a large wok over moderately high flame and throw in the shallots.
• Stir fry them for 5-8 minutes, or until they caramelize and turn crispy.
• Drain them out with a slotted spoon, into a pile of paper towels and set aside.
• Place the wok back onto the stovetop and lower the heat to low.
• Empty the coconut cream into it and whisk in the curry paste while cooking it for a minute.
• Pour in the coconut milk, along with 3 ½ fl oz water and give it a nice stir to mix well.
• Bring the curry to a simmer over slow flame.
• Meanwhile, split each lemongrass stalks into equal halves and bruise them with a rolling pin.
• Drop them into the simmering curry, along with the sugar plus lime leaves and stir them all together along with a splash of fish sauce.
• Continue to simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and stir in the pea aubergines.
• Cook for 8 minutes, stirring at times, until the veggie is just cooked and stir in the chopped bell peppers.
• Continue to cook for another 5 minutes, while stirring often, until the curry becomes bubbly.
• Adjust the seasonings if necessary and cook until the aubergines are cooked through.
• Sprinkle a dash of seasonings over the fish chunks and toss them to coat well.
• Dump the fish into the simmering curry, along with mangtout and simmer further for 5 more minutes, stirring it from time to time, until the fish chunks are cooked and turn flaky while the curry becomes creamier.
• Pour it into a serving bowl and sprinkle the crispy fried shallots and fresh herbs on top.
• Serve hot with cooked white rice.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on April 25, 2013 by