Fish curry
Tender white fish simmered in a gently spiced tomato and onion sauce, a budget curry that tastes like you ordered it.
- 45 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.32 a serving
- 470 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1½ tsp garam masala
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz
- 1¼ lb frozen white fish fillets, thawed, patted dry and cut into 2-inch pieces
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 3 cups water, divided
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Each serving has about 470 calories, 29 g protein, 67 g carbs and 9 g fat, and costs about $2.32 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No lemons? Limes work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Put the rice, 2¼ cups of the water and ½ teaspoon of the salt in a medium and over high heat.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave it covered.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Heat the oil in a large with a lid over medium heat. Cook the onion with of salt for 8 to 10 minutes, often, until soft and .
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 9 min
Dolly’s tip: Take your time here. Golden onions are what make the sauce taste rich.Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, garam masala and cayenne and for 1 minute, .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Pour in the tomatoes and the rest of the water, add the rest of the salt and for 8 minutes, until slightly .
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 8 min
Nestle the fish into the sauce and spoon some sauce over the top. Cover and on low for 6 to 8 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Don’t stir now. The fish breaks apart easily, so spoon sauce over it instead.Food safety: Fish is done at 145°F, when the middle looks opaque and flakes apart easily with a fork.
Squeeze in the lemon juice and scatter the cilantro over.
Fluff the rice with a fork and serve the curry over it.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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