SHOAL FISH with PUMPKIN

Ingredients

• 4 whole fish Shoal fish (Heads discarded, flesh portions cleaned and prepared. Substitute with snakehead fish or any firm freshwater fish if unavailable.)
• 4 tablespoons Oil (Divided — some for frying the fish, some for the curry base. Use a neutral vegetable oil or mustard oil for authenticity.)
• 1 medium pumpkin Tender pumpkin (Peeled and chopped into roughly 3 cm pieces. A young, tender pumpkin is preferred as it cooks quickly and absorbs flavour well.)
• 3 leaves Cassia leaves (Also known as Indian bay leaves (tej patta). Do not substitute with Mediterranean bay leaves — the flavour differs significantly.)
• 3 whole dried or fresh chillies Chillies (Used whole for tempering in the oil. Adjust quantity to your heat preference.)
• 1 pinch Cumin seeds (whole) (Whole cumin seeds used for tempering. A pinch is approximately 1/8 teaspoon.)
• 1 teaspoon Salt (Adjust to taste.)
• 1 teaspoon Powdered chillies (Ground red chilli powder added to the curry sauce. Adjust to your heat preference.)
• 1 teaspoon Coriander (Ground coriander powder.)
• 1 teaspoon Cumin (Ground cumin powder, added to the sauce along with the other ground spices.)
• 0.5 teaspoon Pepper (Freshly ground black pepper.)
• 2 cups Water (Added to form the curry broth. Adjust quantity depending on how thick or thin you prefer the sauce.)
• 1 teaspoon Ghee (A little ghee stirred in at the end. Clarified butter adds a rich, nutty finishing flavour.)

Instructions

1. 1Remove and discard the heads of the shoal fish — they are not edible. Clean and prepare the flesh portions, cutting each fish into manageable pieces. Pat the pieces dry with a clean cloth or paper towel so they fry better in the next step.
2. 2Heat a generous splash of oil in a wide pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the prepared fish pieces in a single layer — do not overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden and lightly crisped on each side, turning once. Remove the fried fish and set aside. The fish will finish cooking in the curry broth later.
3. 3While the fish fries (or just before), peel the tender pumpkin using a vegetable peeler or knife, removing all the outer skin. Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out any seeds and fibrous centre, then chop the flesh into roughly equal bite-sized pieces, approximately 3 cm in size. Set aside.
4. 4In the same pan (or a large, deep pot), heat a fresh splash of oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the cassia leaves, whole chillies, and the pinch of whole cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for about 30 seconds to 1 minute — you will hear the cumin pop and smell the cassia becoming fragrant. Do not let them burn. Add the chopped pumpkin pieces and stir well to coat them in the spiced oil. Continue stirring for 2–3 minutes.
5. 5A few minutes after adding the pumpkin, add the salt, powdered chillies, ground coriander, ground cumin, and pepper to the pan. Stir everything together so the pumpkin is evenly coated in the spices. Pour in the water and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
6. 6Once the broth reaches a rolling boil, carefully add the previously fried fish pieces into the pot. Gently submerge them in the liquid. Reduce the heat to medium and let the curry simmer, allowing the fish to finish cooking and absorb the flavours of the broth, and the pumpkin to become completely tender. This will take approximately 8–10 minutes.
7. 7Once the curry broth has reduced to a scanty, lightly thickened consistency — meaning there is not a great deal of liquid remaining — add a little ghee to the pot. Stir gently once or twice to incorporate the ghee, then remove the pan from the heat. Serve immediately while hot.