Cooking food requires effort, particularly when preparing it in fusion style. It requires imagination, hard work and sound judgment. Therefore, when I’m involved in this process, I make sure that my recipe comes out perfect before I presenting it. This aspect is important for me to build my connection with those who appreciate my cooking.

With this in mind, I’m presenting my fish curry recipe that I created with caramelized onions and traditional aromatic spices. Using caramelized onions enhances my fish curry recipe by adding color, texture and taste. I simply slowly cook the onions on low-medium heat until the onions are fully caramelized.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fish (use king whitefish steaks)
• 1 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon caraway seed
• 1 teaspoon roasted chickpea powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne chili powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 black cardamom
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cinnamon stick, small size
• 2 stars anise
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 fresh tomatoes, medium size, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons mustard oil (2 tablespoon for cooking, and 1 tablespoon for pan-frying the fish)
• 4-5 green chilies (bite-size)
• ½ cup coriander leaves with stems, finely chopped
• Salt as needed

Method:

Heat mustard oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry the fish for 2 minutes until each side turns brown. Set aside.

Heat mustard oil again in the same heavy skillet over medium heat, then add onions. Cook the onions until fully caramelized. Then add garlic and sauté for about a minute until fragrant. Quickly combine turmeric powder, bay leaves, caraway seeds, star anise, black cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon stick, cayenne pepper, and salt, along with half a cup of water. Reduce to low-medium heat, stir, and cook until the oil separates.

Then combine tomato and roasted chickpea powder. Stir rapidly for 2-3 minutes. Add prepared fish steak along with a tablespoon of water. Cover and cook for 5-8 minutes on each side until the fish is completely cooked and the curry has a thick consistency.

(Tip: While cooking avoid over-stirring the fish.) Add green chili and coriander leaves, then cover and cook for 2 minutes. Adjust the salt and serve the fish steak with gravy on top.