Jennifer Ward-Lealand's Aromatic Fish Curry

, from Issue #97. May, 2021
Jennifer Ward-Lealand's Aromatic Fish Curry

Reading that Jennifer doesn’t spend much time cooking anymore, I immediately wanted to lure her back into the kitchen with a recipe that is quick to make, light, and packed with herby freshness.

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

2 stalks lemongrass
3 makrut lime leaves
400ml tin light coconut milk
200ml fish stock
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 red chillies, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 star anise
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon palm or brown sugar
400 grams mixed baby potatoes
4 x 180-gram firm white fish fillets
2 handfuls round green beans, ends trimmed
½ cup Thai basil leaves

TO SERVE

soba noodles or rice
½ cup coriander leaves
flatbreads

METHOD

Bash the lemongrass stalks with a rolling pin and tear the makrut lime leaves from the stems.

Put the coconut milk and fish stock in a large deep pan and add the lemongrass, lime leaves, garlic, chilli, fish sauce, star anise, ginger, turmeric and sugar. Bring to the boil, add the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the fish fillets and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Add the beans and Thai basil leaves and cook for a final 5 minutes until the fish is cooked through.

Serve the fish on soba noodles or rice with plenty of the aromatic broth. Garnish with coriander and serve with flatbreads, if desired.