
5.0 from 210 votes
Singaporean Tamarind Coconut Fish Curry
An 8-ingredient curry with flaky fish in a spiced, creamy curry sauce. The tamarind juice gives the flavorful Singapore Tamarind Coconut Fish Curry a delicious citrusy acidity (and makes sure there is no fishy flavor)- unusual for a curry, but makes for a super satisfying meal with white rice. (Dairy-free) (Stovetop)
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 311 kcal
Course:
Main Course
Cuisine:
Asian , Malaysian , Singaporean
Ingredients
- 15.9 oz White fish fillets (gutted and descaled) (450g) Wash the fish in salt water, then drain dry and cut into 1 inch/ 1,5 cm pieces. In Singapore, we use ikan tenggiri, ikan merah and ikan kurau, but you can also use a white fish like cod, halibut or tilapia. Substitute: pork (it will need to be cooked longer than the fish). Don't use oyster mushrooms as it doesn't go well with the tamarind.
- ⅖ Cup coconut cream (100ml), mixed with 1 Chinese bowl of water. Alternatively grate ½ a coconut and mix it with 225 ml of water. You can also skim off the thicker top of full-fat coconut milk and use it in place of coconut cream.
- 1 T tamarind paste Mix it with ¼-1/2 Chinese bowl of water
- fish sauce to taste, or salt
- 2 T vegetable oil or to taste. Don't use olive oil! Canola or sunflower works (palm oil is the traditional choice in South East Asia)
Rempah (to be pounded together- cut all the ingredients, where possible, before pounding)
- 4 dried chillies (Cut to facilitate pounding) (Remove the seeds to make it less spicy) Don't touch your eyes after touching the dried chillies or you will cry
- 2 lemongrass stalks (white part/ base) Chop extra fine before pounding to make life easier for yourself
- 1 piece Turmeric Substitute with turmeric paste or 1 of these substitutes if you don't have fresh on hand
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 lice ginger Peel with the back of a spoon if you wish- i sometimes leave the skin on!
Instructions
- Cut all the ingredients for the rempah, then pound (or blend) till fine.
- Heat the cooking oil, then fry the pounded rempah. Keep stirring and frying till the oil separates out and you can smell the fragrance of the ingredients.
- Add the coconut cream (mixed with water), bring to the boil then add the fish and reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Add the tamarind juice and simmer for another 2-3 minutes or till the fish is cooked. (Frozen or bigger fish pieces will take longer to cook.) Add more water till the gravy is at your ideal consistency/ tastiness.
- Add fish sauce or salt, to taste
- Serve with white rice, cauliflower rice or brown rice.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- Other ingredients
- Curries are a great recipe to make when you want to clear out your fridge- I sometimes temper curry leaves with the rempah, or add broccoli, tomatoes, okra/ lady's fingers etc
- Meal prep
- You can blend the rempah ingredients into a smooth paste beforehand and freezing it. Simply use a clean spoon to scoop out a few tablespoons of the spice paste whenever you want to make this dish. Alternatively, make the dish the day beforehand as curry actually tastes better the next day!
- Storage
- Keep for no more than 1-2 days in an air-tight container in the fridge as coconut doesn't last very long before going bad.
- Some people freeze curries for longer storage, but I've never done so. If you do so, I suggest just freezing the sauce as re-cooked fish will deteriorate slightly in texture.
- Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.
Nutrition Information
Calories
311kcal
(16%)
Carbohydrates
25g
(8%)
Protein
23g
(46%)
Fat
13g
(20%)
Saturated Fat
7g
(35%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
2g
Monounsaturated Fat
3g
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
56mg
(19%)
Sodium
76mg
(3%)
Potassium
404mg
(12%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
22g
(44%)
Vitamin A
134IU
(3%)
Vitamin C
1mg
(1%)
Calcium
20mg
(2%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 311
% Daily Value*
Calories | 311kcal | 16% |
Carbohydrates | 25g | 8% |
Protein | 23g | 46% |
Fat | 13g | 20% |
Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
Monounsaturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
Cholesterol | 56mg | 19% |
Sodium | 76mg | 3% |
Potassium | 404mg | 9% |
Fiber | 1g | 4% |
Sugar | 22g | 44% |
Vitamin A | 134IU | 3% |
Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
Calcium | 20mg | 2% |
Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.