My mom got me a latin american cookbook for christmas, and this was the first thing I made out of it. I loved it, with one caveat. The recipe didn’t say anything about what to do with the whole spices, so I just threw them in without thinking. So every other bite you could bite in to a whole clove or cardamom pod…it was a bit distracting. So, make a little bag out of cheesecloth and add put the whole spices in it, then remove it when you’re ready to eat.
So, it’s kind of a weird flavor, but very very good. But very different from any thai or indian curry I’ve ever had. Much sweeter. In a good way. Just eat it.
Ingredients
for the spice bag:
6 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
12 allspice berries
10 cloves
2 bay leaves
Everything else:
2+ pounds cod (The original recipe called for halibut, but damned if I could find it in my grocery store. This came out just fine. Apparently you can substitute shrimp as well)
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 inches ginger, minced
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 large sweet potato (about 3/4 pound) peeled and chopped in to 1 inch cubes
1 cup water
4 ounces creamed coconut (my grocery sells it in 8 ounce cans, so half of that for me)
1 1/2 cups rice
Directions
Salt the fish and set it aside.
Heat some oil in a decent sized pot, and saute on the onions, ginger, and garlic together over low heat for a few (about 5) minutes until the onions start to soften
Add the cumin, coriander, and cayenne and saute for another 2 or 3 minutes.
Add the potatoes, spice bag, coconut, water, and tomatoes to the pot, add some salt, and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the sweet potato is cooked.
While that’s simmering, go ahead and cook the rice.
Next, add the fish to the pot of curry and spoon the sauce over them. Return to a boil and simmer for another ten minutes to cook the fish. Add water if it becomes too thick, but between the tomatoes and water you added before, it should be fine.
Remove the curry from heat, fish out the spice bag, and serve it over rice.
eatbensmeat 