Masala Fish Curry
I’m fully aware how tricky it can be to get fish into a child’s diet unless it’s in the form of a bright orange, bread crumbed fish finger - which is why I love this curry. I cooked it the other night and it went down a treat! Besides the fact Aaliyah thought it was chicken (because it was white), this is a tasty way to get some protein-rich fish into your family’s diet. I did make a point, however, to correct her by telling her it was fish, so she was aware that fish can be just as delicious as chicken. Her response was ‘yummy – I like fish’. My response was ‘woo-hoo’ - followed by a Michael Jackson moonwalk [well in my head anyway]. In the past when I’ve openly celebrated such a comment, Aaliyah would embarrass quickly and retract her statement. So I’ve learnt the art of a ‘silent win’.
Taken from my Easy Indian Super Meals weaning and family cookbook, this is a delicious, tangy fish curry. The sharp, tangy taste comes from the fresh lemon in this recipe - combined with the tomatoes, is a superb source of antioxidant vitamin C.
Break the fish fillets up into little pieces and let baby eat the tender little fish chunks with her fingers - a great baby led weaning curry and family meal.
Serves family of 4. Total preparation and cooking time: 40mins.
Ingredients
Marinade:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ lemon — freshly squeezed
Salt to taste (optional)
4 x 100g (3½oz) white fish fillets (skinless, boneless)
Sauce:
3 tbsp olive oil
200g (7oz) tinned chopped tomatoes
Salt to taste (optional)
Red chilli powder to taste (optional)
Fresh coriander/ cilantro for garnish — washed
Method
Marinade: Combine the oil, tomato puree, coriander, cumin, garlic, turmeric and lemon juice. Remove one tablespoon of marinade and set aside – this will be used for the curry sauce later. Then cover one fish fillet (one per child) with the marinade and also set aside. Add salt (if using) to the remaining marinade and cover the remaining fillets. Allow to marinate for 30mins.
Sauce: Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the tomatoes and the ‘saved’ tablespoon of marinade. Stir-fry on medium-low heat until it thickens then add the marinated fish fillets to the pan and simmer on medium-low heat for 6-8mins or until the fish is flaky. Turn over halfway. Once cooked, remove the kid’s fish fillets and some curry sauce and set aside. Then add salt and red chilli powder to the pan (if using) and return to the heat for a further 1-2mins. Garnish the main serving (and your little ones) with fresh coriander/ cilantro and serve with roti or rice.
IMPORTANT: ensure there are no fish bones included within your children’s serving.
