Moomy & Her Goa-Inspired Fish Curry!

With all that rain we’ve been having this past week, I guess its safe to say that Fall is officially here.

Its amazing how fast the year has gone by, huh?

The temperature has dipped considerably, night comes a lot faster (early 6-ish!), and lots of leaves are falling!

And with all that cold comes the need for lots of comfort food - food to soothe and warm the belly during the cold evenings.

I also love how the sautéing of spices, onions and garlic fill up the entire house that it sort of became a welcoming fragrance for my darling hubby when he comes home from work.

It always tickle me when the first thing he said the minute he stepped through the door was “That smells good, honey. I could smell it the minute I open the garage!”

Anyhoo, my in-laws had given us a wonderful cut of albacore tuna and I’ve been meaning to cook it in a different way (besides grilling it). A quick Google and I found a curry recipe, which I just had to try!

 Being here in the States makes me appreciate fish so much more!

You would think being near the beautiful Oregon Coast

and seeing all those impressive fishing boats, that there

would be plenty of fresh fish markets around right? Not exactly!

My in-laws said most of those fish caught are shipped overseas!

Here’s what I did for my Albacore Tuna Coconut Curry with Cashew Nuts & Butternut Squash:

Into my Magic Bullet, I measured out 2 teaspoons each of coriander seeds and cumin. I blitz it till the spices are finely ground and poured that into a bowl. Set this aside.

Next into the Bullet: 1 whole onion (roughly diced), 2 inches of fresh ginger (roughly chopped up), 4 cloves of garlic, a third of a cup of roasted salted cashew nuts, 1 and a half teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1 heaping teaspoon of sambal oelek (bottled ground fresh chilli paste) and a wee bit of water to help the blending process. Once the mixture is nicely blended, pour it out into another bowl and set it aside.

Turmeric is good for you. It is a natural 

anti-inflammatory and antioxidant product and it fights off

those nasty colds and flus!

The next item to go into the Bullet is a medium tomato: I peeled off its skin, chopped it up roughly and blitzed it for a second until the tomato’s all smooth. Set this aside.

Before I start putting the curry together, I prepped these items:

Half an onion – finely sliced,

Red & yellow peppers (1 of each) – cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares,

Half a butternut squash – peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes,

1 generous pinch of tamarind paste – add a splash of water to the tamarind paste and work the water into the dried tamarind to get about 1 tablespoon of tamarind juice,

A generous handful of fresh cilantro – chopped.

It wasn't until my first visit to the States back in 2007 that

I tasted butternut squash for the first time. I loved it!

Into a big pot, heat up a quarter cup of vegetable oil over medium heat. I know it sounds like a lot but you need the oil to sauté the blended spices properly. Cooking/sautéing that curry mixture takes some time because if you don’t cook it properly, your curry might taste raw.

Anyhoo, once your oil has warmed up, pour in the blended onion + turmeric mixture. Stir it continuously while it cook for about 2-3 minutes. Then add your chopped peppers into the pot; let it cook for about 3-4 minutes.

Cook the blended onion + turmeric mixture first …

… then add those colored peppers …

… before finally working those blended spices into the mixture.

Don't rush the cooking process, OK? Let the spices

work its magic together with the other ingredients.

The end result will be worth the wait, I promise you :D

Next, pour in your blended spice mixture. Stir the mixture continuously for about 2 minutes before adding these: the blitzed-up tomato, half a can of coconut milk, tamarind juice, 1 packed tablespoon of light brown sugar, 2 heaping tablespoons of Sriracha chilli sauce (this is optional. I wanted some added kick to the gravy hehehe) and a third of a cup of water. Stir the mixture; add a wee bit more water if the curry seems a little thick. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes, uncovered.

Add those chopped cilantro into the pot and stir it into the curry. Then gently tuck your cut tuna pieces into the gravy; let the fish simmer gently for about 3 minutes, covered. Turn the fish once and let it simmer for a couple more minutes. Give it a couple more minutes if your fish is still not cooked through.

The tuna steaks simmering slowly in the curry mixture …

Once your fish is cooked, all that's left is to stir in 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice into the curry and season it with salt. Ta-daaaa!! :D:D:D 

And there you have it: Goa-inspired

Albacore Tuna Coconut Curry with Cashew Nuts and Butternut Squash

I've never been there before but for some reason, the color of this curry just reminded me of Goa, India!  The curry was so creamy with all that richness from the coconut milk and the cubes of butternut squash gave a nice sweetness to the beautiful cut of albacore tuna. 

My darling hubby loved it - he had seconds! :D:D:D The curry wasn't too spicy too. Perfect for mild-curry lovers :D

There's nothing like a steaming plate of rice and curry to warm your cold evenings, y'all. Till my next post, keep warm and stay dry! :D:D:D