Best Singaporean Fish Head Curry Recipes

FISH HEAD CURRY

Fish Head Curry image

Here's an easy, make-from-scratch recipe that makes a hearty, one-pot dish, rich with the flavours of curry spice paste, coconut milk, tamarind juice, and fresh vegetables like eggplant, okra and tomatoes.

Provided by Celia Lim

Time 1h

Number Of Ingredients 20

Ingredients

1 fish head (600 - 750 g, cut into half)
3 sprigs curry leaves
2 stalks lemon grass (bottom 1/3, bruised)
1 foot-long eggplant (cut into 2-inch sections, quartered)
10 ladies fingers (cut into 2-inch sections)
3 to matoes (cut into wedges)
10 shallots (peeled, cut)
1/2 large onion (peeled, cut)
1 1/2 inch ginger knob (peeled, cut)
1 inch turmeric knob (peeled, cut)
6 garlic cloves (peeled)
4 tbsp fish curry powder
3-5 tbsp chilli paste
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
500 ml thick coconut milk (mixed with 750 ml of water for thin coconut milk)
200 ml thick coconut milk
3 tbsp (heaped tamarind paste, mixed with 125 ml water, strained)
Extra water (as needed)
Extra salt and sugar (to taste)

Steps:

Place cut shallots, onion, garlic, ginger, and turmeric in a food processor, add 2 tbsps of oil to grease the blades, and blend until you get a fairly smooth paste. Add curry powder and chilli paste (add between 3 to 5 tbsps, depending on how spicy you like it) and pulse until well combined.
Heat up 6 tbsps oil in a wok over low-medium fire. When hot, add the spice paste and stir fry, stirring continuously around in the wok to avoid burning the paste. If the paste gets a little dry, drizzle in 2 - 3 tbsps of oil. Stir in salt and sugar. Allow the spice paste to cook through gently, becoming fragrant and aromatic - this may take 10 minutes or longer.
Once the oil starts to float to the top, and bubbles around the edges of the paste, stir in lemon grass and curry leaves. Stir fry for a minute or until fragrant.
Stir in thin coconut milk and tamarind juice. Increase heat to medium-high, and allow mixture to come to a gentle simmer. Add egg plant, and simmer for a few minutes. When egg plant start to soften, stir in the lady fingers, and tomatoes. Then add the fish head halves, cheek side facing up. Add a little extra water, if sauce becomes too thick, or is not enough to coat the fish head to cook it.
Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until fish head is cooked through. Do a taste test: if your prefer your curry more rich-tasting or creamy, add thick coconut milk to desired level of creamy richness. Add salt and sugar to taste (more salt if not salty enough, more sugar if too sourish or too salty). A good fish head curry should taste rich or lemak, slightly salty as well as sourish (tangy), and have the consistency of a thick soup.

Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 g, Calories 539 kcal, Carbohydrate 45 g, Protein 18 g, Fat 37 g, SaturatedFat 30 g, Cholesterol 24 mg, Sodium 1087 mg, Fiber 8 g, Sugar 16 g, UnsaturatedFat 4 g

SINGAPOREAN FISH HEAD CURRY

Singaporean Fish Head Curry image

My aunt introduced me to Singaporean cuisine. I got this recipe from a cook book I bought two years ago and have made it many times for a Sunday dinner before I moved to Canada. I didn't bring my book but I asked my sister to send me the recipe by e-mail.

Provided by Pinaygourmet 345142

Categories Asian

Time 1h30m

Yield 6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 21

Ingredients

1 whole fish heads, cut into 2 or 600 g fish steaks
10 g ginger, thinly shredded
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 onions, thinly sliced
5 tablespoons curry paste (recipe follows)
3 tomatoes, quartered
6 red chilies, slit into half lengthwise
6 green chilies, slit into half lengthwise
2 -3 sprigs curry leaves
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind paste, diluted with
1/2 cup water
1 cup coconut milk (regular not the lite version)
250 g coriander powder
60 g cumin powder
150 g chili powder
30 g turmeric powder
20 g black pepper
10 g ground fenugreek
5 tablespoons sunflower oil

Steps:

Wash the fish head or fish steaks and pat dry. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a wok or saucepan, add curry seeds mixture and ginger and stir fry over high heat for two to three minutes till the seeds pop.
Cool slightly then pulse in a food processor to create the paste.
In the same wok or sauce pan with the remaining oil, add garlic and stir fry till lightly browned.
Add the curry paste and stir fry till fragrant and cooked.
Add the onions and stir fry briefly for about one minute.
Put in half of the coconut milk, bring to a boil, remember to keep stirring to avoid curdling.
Add the fish, cook for 10 minutes before adding the remaining coconut milk and the tamarind juice.
Add the tomatoes, red chilli, green chilli, curry leaves, salt and sugar.
Simmer gently for about five to eight minutes or until the sauce is thickened to a desired consistency and the fish is cooked through.
You may add more liquid if there is not enough gravy.
Serve with steaming hot rice.