For lunch today, I felt like something quick, tasty and substantial enough so that I could skip dinner.
As far as quick & tasty go, there is very little that can compare with a Durban Tin Fish Chutney (curry)
The king of cheap meals that is enjoyed everybody from peasants to royalty.
To a pot that was sizzling with 1 teaspoon of ghee (or sunflower oil, if you prefer), I added 1 small-medium sized onion chopped onion. 2 green chillies, 2 dried chillies and 2 cloves of garlic.
When the pot became a bit dry, I added some hot water from the kettle and allowed the onions to cook down in the water until the water had evaporated. This is fast becoming one of my favourite little tricks.
note: this is may not needed when you cook with a lot of oil, but I am using as little oil as possible for my everyday cooking.
Into the onions, I added 1 heaped spoon of Durban Curry Lovers, all-in-one Kashmiri Masala and gave it a good mix. Again, when the pot became a bit dry, I added a good splash of hot water from the kettle and gave it a good mix. The masala dissolves nicely into the water and by the time the water cooks away, you have a nice smooth, well tempered, ‘paste’ sizzling away in the pot.
I then added 3 jam tomatoes that had been blitzed in my food processor. So quick and easy, could not help myself. I gave it all a good mix and let it cook down on medium heat.
After 5 minutes, I poured the sauce from the tin of pilchards in with the chutney. (Chutney is what Durbanites call the tomato based ‘curry gravy’ that we have just cooked)
While that was simmering away, I cleaned each pilchard, taking care to remove the bones and cut away the stomach and any other dark bits of the fish.
Once the pilchards were cleaned, I gently added them to the pot and carefully mixed them into the chutney, taking care not to break them up.
A good trick is to pick the pot up and swirl it around a bit.
Meanwhile, a couple of eggs were boiling away to be served with this delicious meal. A couple of fingers of toasted bun rounded things off perfectly. I cooked the buns on Sunday night, using a Japanese Milk Bread Recipe which I got from Joshua Weissman’s Cookbook.
I dished 3 plates, one for my son, one for my neighbour an done for myself, with a portion still left over for later.
You really can not beat this meal for it’s simplicity, value for money and most of all ….. the incredible taste.
For more Fish & Seafood Curry Recipes, please see HERE
If you would like to try our Durban Curry Lovers, All-in-One Masala, you can purchase from our online store www.currylovers.co.za
We deliver nationwide and internationally. If your country is not on the list, then pls contact me and I will arrange the delivery.