MALAI CURRY

Ingredients

• 900 g (approximately 1 seer) Large fish (such as sea bass or snapper) or whole lobsters (Use only large fish cut into big pieces, or keep lobsters whole. Clean and prepare before use.)
• 2 whole (1–2) Coconuts (Used to extract coconut milk (vegetable milk). See step 3 for extraction method.)
• 11.6 g (approximately 1 tola) Cumin seeds (Most of this goes into the spice paste; reserve a small pinch of whole seeds for the final tempering in step 8.)
• 5.8 g (approximately ½ tola) Black pepper (Ground into the spice paste.)
• 5.8 g (approximately ½ tola) Coriander seeds (Ground into the spice paste.)
• 23.2 g (approximately 2 tolas) Turmeric (Ground into the spice paste. Use ground turmeric powder if fresh is unavailable.)
• 29 g (approximately 2½ tolas) Fresh ginger (Peeled and ground into the spice paste.)
• 58 g (approximately 1 chhatak) Onions (Ground into the spice paste.)
• 235 ml (approximately 1 powa) Cooking oil (neutral, such as sunflower or vegetable) (Used for frying the fish and for cooking the spices.)
• 58 g (approximately 1 chhatak) Ghee (Used for the final tempering (seasoning) of the curry.)
• 5.8 g (approximately ½ tola) Garam masala (Ground into a separate paste and added at the very end of cooking.)
• 29 g (approximately ½ chhatak) Plain flour (all-purpose flour) (Mixed with a little cold water to make a thin slurry for thickening the curry.)
• 0 to taste Fresh or dried chillies (Used in the final ghee tempering. Quantity is to your preference.)
• 0 a few Cassia leaves (Indian bay leaves / tej patta) (Fried in oil at the start of cooking to infuse flavour. Cassia leaves are larger and more aromatic than European bay leaves.)
• 17.4 g (approximately 1½ tolas) Salt (Added when the coconut milk begins to boil.)

Instructions

1. 1If using large fish, clean it thoroughly — remove scales, gut it, and rinse under cold water. Cut the fish into large, chunky pieces (roughly 5–7 cm). If using lobsters, clean them but keep them whole — do not cut them up. Pat all pieces dry with kitchen paper and set aside on a plate.
2. 2Pour the oil into a large, deep frying pan or wok and heat it over medium-high heat until shimmering. Carefully add the fish pieces or lobsters in a single layer (work in batches if needed to avoid crowding the pan). Fry until golden-brown and lightly sealed on all sides — about 3–4 minutes per side for fish, or 4–5 minutes per side for lobster. You are not cooking them through at this stage, just giving them colour and sealing in flavour. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Keep the oil in the pan.
3. 3To extract coconut milk (called 'vegetable milk' in the original recipe): pierce the eyes of each coconut with a skewer or screwdriver and drain out the clear coconut water into a bowl — set this aside. Crack open the coconuts carefully using the back of a heavy knife or a hammer, striking around the equator of the nut. Prise the white flesh away from the shell using a sturdy spoon or coconut tool. Roughly chop or grate the white flesh. Place the grated coconut flesh into a blender with approximately 250–300 ml of warm water and blend for 1–2 minutes until you have a creamy mixture. Strain this through a clean cloth or fine-mesh sieve, squeezing hard to extract as much rich milk as possible. Discard the dry pulp. Repeat with the second coconut if using two. You should have approximately 400–600 ml of coconut milk. Set aside.
4. 4Place the cumin seeds (reserving just a small pinch of whole seeds for step 8), black pepper, coriander seeds, turmeric, fresh ginger, and onions into a blender or food processor. Add a splash of water (1–2 tablespoons) to help it blend smoothly. Blitz to a smooth, thick paste. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. This is your main spice paste. Next, in a separate small bowl, mix the garam masala with just enough water (a few drops) to form a smooth paste. Set this aside separately — it will be added right at the end of cooking.
5. 5Return the pan with the reserved frying oil to medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cassia leaves (Indian bay leaves) and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds — they will become fragrant and slightly darken at the edges. Now add the main spice paste from step 4 and stir it into the oil. Fry the paste, stirring constantly, for approximately 5 minutes. The paste will bubble and spit at first. If it begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, add a tiny splash of water (1–2 tablespoons at a time) and stir well. Continue frying until the oil begins to separate from the paste and the raw smell of the spices has cooked off.
6. 6Pour the coconut milk extracted in step 3 into the pan with the fried spices. Stir everything together well to combine the coconut milk with the spiced oil. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally to prevent it from catching on the bottom.
7. 7Once the coconut milk is boiling, add the salt and stir to dissolve. Add the fried fish pieces or lobsters from step 2 back into the pan, gently nestling them into the sauce. While the curry simmers, quickly mix the flour with just enough cold water (2–3 tablespoons) in a small cup to make a smooth, thin liquid with no lumps — it should be the consistency of single cream. Pour this flour solution slowly into the simmering curry while stirring gently. This will help thicken the sauce. Let the curry cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fish is fully cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly — approximately 8–10 minutes.
8. 8While the curry finishes cooking, prepare the tempering: place the ghee in a small saucepan and heat it over medium heat until it is melted and bubbling hot. Add the chillies (left whole or sliced, as you prefer) and the small pinch of reserved whole cumin seeds. Let them sizzle in the hot ghee for about 30–45 seconds until the cumin crackles and the chillies puff slightly. Pour this entire fragrant ghee mixture immediately over the curry in the pan and stir through gently.
9. 9Stir the garam masala paste (prepared in step 4) into the curry. Give everything a gentle stir to combine. Continue to cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce (soup) reaches a fairly thick consistency — it should coat the back of a spoon but still be pourable. Once the desired thickness is reached, remove the pan from the heat. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Serve hot.