The first time S returned from Singapore and narrated to me, childlike excitement stark in his voice, his experience of having had a Singapore fish head curry there, I was confident that he was in a mood for fun.
A fish head curry in Singapore !! I responded in jest, Surely you must be joking Mr S !!
No, he retorted impatiently. And proceeded to relate the popular lore – an ambitious Indian chef who in an effort to please his Chinese boss, known to have a bias for fish head, whipped up a fish head curry. A simple curry. Fresh snapper head. A mix of Indian staple spices. Tomatoes, eggplant and okra. A touch of tamarind and a kiss of fresh curry leaves. That was it.
The chief adored the curry.
Iterations later, the curry made an appearance on the restaurant menu.
And the rest, as they say, was history.
Over the next decade or so, every time the man travelled to Singapore, he would unfailingly find an opportunity to relish his fish head curry. It almost became a Singapore ritual, one without which a trip to the city of Raffles and Merlion was deemed not complete.
Almost every Indian eatery had its own version, most were hits, some were misses, I learnt over time. But the best, S loved to recount, had to be the one they made in The Banana Leaf Apolo restaurant in Little India.
It’s no surprise then, that The Banana Leaf Apolo restaurant proudly featured on the top of my unabashedly long list of places to try in what’s fast becoming the food capital of Asia, if not the world.
I had heard enough about it.
And I just couldn’t wait for the moment of truth.
Did I like the fish head curry at The Banana Leaf Apolo ?
Well, I adored it.
(I did try a couple of other variants too, but none came even a close second.)
And now that I had feasted on the curry and been delighted by it, it was time for me to recreate my version of the fish head curry.
Bhetki head instead of the traditional snapper. (I am biased towards bhetki, you know that). (And my secret tip – do request your fishmonger to leave some flesh generously alongside the head)
A flavour profile recreated from memory and iterated upon, till my finicky self stood back and smiled in awe.
My Singapore Fish Head Curry.
Enjoy !!!
Singapore Fish Head Curry
Ingredients
- 2 bhetki fish head I typically use heads of fish between 700g and 1.3kg in weight
- 1 medium eggplant cut into batons
- 12-15 okra tops and tails trimmed
- 4-5 strings of cowpea beans cut into 2 inch long pieces
- 200 ml coconut milk
- 3 big onions finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes quartered
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 12-15 curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/3 cup cooking oil + 2 tsp extra
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- salt to taste
For the spice paste
- 1 big onion
- 4-5 red chillies, de-seeded and soaked in water
- 1 inch ginger knob
- 5-6 cloves of garlic
- 2-3 inch Lemongrass stalks hard outer layer removed, finely chopped
Instructions
- Grind all the ingredients (listed under the spice paste head) to a smooth paste with a splash of water
- Dissolve the cumin powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder in a little water to make a paste. Keep aside.
- Heat oil in a heavy bottomed wok. Throw in 8-10 curry leaves, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds . Allow the spices to splutter .
- Once the spices have released their aroma, add the chopped onions, sauté till translucent and soft .
- Now add the ground spice paste, stir in the cumin-coriander-red chilli paste and tamarind paste, sprinkle a little salt, cook until the masala starts to release oil.
- Add 3 cups of warm water, bring to a simmer.
- Lower the heat, gently pour in the coconut milk while stirring continuously.
- Add the eggplant and cow pea beans, cook over a low flame for 5-7 minutes .
- Gently add the fish head in the curry, continue to simmer for another 5-7 minutes . Do ensure that the fish head is completely immersed in the curry.
- Very carefully flip the fish head.
- Add the okra and tomatoes, continue cooking over a low flame till the fish head is cooked perfectly and the vegetables are tender.
- Add the sugar, adjust seasonings. Switch off the flame.
- Take 2 tsp oil in a tadka pan, add the remaining curry leaves . Fry the leaves till crisp, add the leaves and oil to the curry.
- Cover, allow to rest for 7-10 minutes.
- Serve hot with steamed rice.
Notes
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