Fish curry

Fish curry (adapted from Mrs. Samuel's Ceylonese homemakers cookbook)

To be honest, fish curry ranks fairly close to the bottom of my food preferences. In fact, I refused to eat any fish for the better part of my childhood and even today, consume limited quantities for the sake of a "balanced diet" (with tons of lemon or tangy sauces to mask the flavor). So quite surprised that this curry fared pretty well! 

Ingredients:

• Fish pieces (approx. 300g)
• 1 heaped tablespoon coriander seeds
• 4-5 dried chillies
• 1/3 teaspoon peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 medium onion - chopped
• 1 medium onion - sliced
• ¼ teaspoon thalikran spices (a spice mix of mustard seeds, urad dhall, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek)
• ½ cup thick coconut milk (santan)
• 1 cup water
• 2 large tomatoes – quartered
• 2 green chillies – cut lengthwise
• ½ cup tamarind juice or 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
• Salt to taste
• Optional: 1 eggplant - cut into large pieces

Method: 

1. Grind into a paste: coriander, cumin, dried chillies, peppercorns, turmeric, garlic, chopped onion. 
2. Marinade fish pieces with ground paste in a bowl.
3. Heat oil in wok and temper thalikran spices. Add in sliced onions and saute. 
4. Add in the fish pieces with paste, eggplant, water, tamarind juice, tomatoes and green chillies. Season with salt. 
5. Cook for 15 minutes and add thick coconut milk. Continue to cook until gravy thickens almost coating fish. Remove from heat and serve.