Kare Ikan (Fish Curry)

Kare Ikan
(Fish Curry)
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 Lb, cleaned weight fish
6 Shallots or 1 lg Onion
2 Cloves garlic
2 ts Ground coriander
1 ts Ground ginger
1/2 ts Powdered lemon grass or 1 Blade fresh, lemon grass
1 ts Chilli powder
1 Salam leaf or bay-leaf
1/2 ts Turmeric
1/2 c Tamarind water
1 c Of thick santen (coconut -milk)
2 tb Vegetable oil
Salt
sl Cucumber
Mint
Directions
It is better to select a white fish with firm flesh, such as haddock, angler-fish, swordfish or dogfish. In Australia the various fish known as whiting would be a good choice. Americans might like to use snappers.
Whatever fish is used, it can be cut into small cubes or slices before frying. Heat a little oil in a heavy frying-pan, and carefully brown the fish in it. Meanwhile, in another frying-pan, fry the chopped shallots (or onion) and garlic until tender. Stir in the chilli, ginger, turmeric, coriander, lemon grass, salam, salt and tamarind water. Let this mixture simmer for 10 minutes, then put in the fish. Cover, and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Add the santen and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with very thin slices of cucumber and chopped mint. (Alternatively, put the cucumber and mint into the kare itself for the last 2 minutes of cooking.) Incidentally, the same kare can be made with prawns. There is no need to fry the prawns separately; but fry them in the mixture of onion, etcetera for a few minutes before you put in the tamarind water. Makes 4 servings.