Durban Fish Curry

The city of Durban boasts the largest community of Indian descendants, outside of India. When the Indian indentured labourers came to SA in the 1860s, they brought with them a variety of exotic spices. There are many ways to make a curry, but Durban curries are known for their deep red colour and tomato base – a type of curry that’s now famous around the world.

Serves 3-5

Durban Fish Curry

Serves 3-5

The city of Durban boasts the largest community of Indian descendants, outside of India. When the Indian indentured labourers came to SA in the 1860s, they brought with them a variety of exotic spices. There are many ways to make a curry, but Durban curries are known for their deep red colour and tomato base - a type of curry that's now famous around the world.

Ingredients

2 x 500g Cape Whiting Steaks, frozen
4 tsp (20 ml) Olive oil
1 Onion, chopped
1 tbsp (15 ml) Crushed garlic
2 tbsp (30 ml) Grated ginger
2 tbsp (30 ml) Durban masala or red curry powder
2 tsp (10 ml) Fish/seafood masala
1 tsp (5 ml) Ground cumin
2 Cardamom pods
1 cup (250 ml) Chopped tomatoes
1 tsp (5 ml) Tomato paste
1 – 2 cups (250 – 500 ml) Water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

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Method

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and then add the onions and sauté until the onions are translucent.
Add the garlic, ginger and all the spices and heat through for 5-10 minutes. Add a little water to deglaze if the spices start to stick to the pan.
Add the fresh tomatoes and paste and the water (firstly starting with 1 cup), and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes. At this point, most of the water should have evaporated.
Add the hake steaks and leave to simmer a further 20–25 minutes with the lid on. Do not stir too much as the fish might be broken.
Serve with cooked basmati rice, chapattis or roti.

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Shallow Pan Fry Fish

Use hot oil for best results. This will ensure a crispy outside with a moist inside. Do not fry too slowly, as the fish will be limp and pale and might fall apart. Cover base of pan with oil. Butter adds flavour, but because it can burn, add a little oil. The frying time can vary from 6 – 8 minutes depending on thickness of the portion. To establish when the oil is ready for frying, dip a cube of bread in the oil. It should turn light brown in 90 seconds.