How to make Keralan coconut monkfish curry and black rice

Inspired by the palm-lined Malabar Coast, this fragrant curry combines monkfish with Asian spices and aromatics: fresh garlic, ginger, turmeric, cardamom and green chilli

Keralan coconut monkfish curry and black rice

Serves 2

100g black rice
½ tbsp oil
1 green chilli
1 red onion
1 tsp turmeric
200ml coconut milk
2 garlic cloves
2 x 140g monkfish tail, diced (skin off)
4cm fresh ginger
4 tomatoes
6 cardamom pods

Boil a kettle. Rinse the black rice and place in a saucepan with 500ml boiling water and a pinch of sea salt. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until cooked.

Meanwhile, finely chop the chilli (remove the seeds for less heat). Peel and finely chop or grate the garlic and ginger. Remove the cardamom seeds from the pods, lightly bruise the seeds with a rolling pin (or crush in a pestle and mortar) and discard the green shells. Finely slice the onion and thinly slice the tomatoes.

Heat a medium-sized pan with half a tablespoon of oil on a medium heat and add the garlic, ginger, chilli and cardamom seeds and cook for 1 minute. Add the onion to the pan and fry for 5 minutes until softened.

Roughly chop the coriander leaves. Add the turmeric and monkfish pieces to the pan and stir to coat. Add the coconut milk, half of the coriander and season with sea salt and black pepper. Simmer gently for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly, stirring occasionally.

Then add the sliced tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes until the monkfish is cooked through. Drain the black rice. Serve the black rice in two warm bowls and top with the monkfish curry and the remaining coriander leaves.

Recipe from mindfulchef.com