Easy recipe: Red snapper fish masala

 Red snapper fish masala (Photo: Courtesy)

We all love some comfort food to help us get through this cold weather and nothing does that better than a red snapper fish masala

Ingredients:

600g tomatoes, blended 25g tomato paste 250g onions 15g garlic 10g ginger 15g coriander seeds 5g cloves 10g cinnamon sticks 10g cumin seeds 10g nutmeg 5g cardamom 5g garlic cloves 30g plain flour 14g turmeric powder 5g chilli powder 10g gharam masala 1 tsp salt 800g large red snapper 200ml cooking oil 90ml plain yoghurt 2g bay leaves 50g unsalted butter Bunch of fresh coriander 150ml water

Method:

Start by preparing the ginger garlic paste. Blend the ginger and garlic with a teaspoon of water in a blender. Store any you do not use for this recipe in the fridge.

To make the masala sauce, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the whole spices (black cardamom, peppercorns, cloves, green cardamom, cumin seeds, cinnamon and bay leaves) and fry until they start to crackle, then add the onions.

Cook the onions gently and slowly until caramelised and dark brown. Add a tablespoon of the ginger garlic paste and fry gently for 3-4 minutes. Taste to make sure the ginger and garlic are well cooked otherwise their flavour will be too strong.

Add tomato paste and all the powdered spices and mix well. Add 100-150ml water if the sauce is too thick. Now add the blended tomatoes and cook until the oil comes to the surface of the sauce.

Cut the red snapper into cubes, sear until golden brown and pour in the masala sauce. Simmer for a few minutes to allow maximum penetration of flavour, but do not overcook.

Recipe by Archie Alvin Athanasius, Executive Chef at Hemingways