Meen Kari
My third go at this dish, and I'm becoming very comfortable with it. I had the dough for some naan to go with it -- cooking it isn't a big deal (not anymore, at least, now that I've got the hang of it), but I knew I was gonna be pretty tired, so I wanted something easy, and that's Meen Kari in a nutshell.
1 Tbsp ghee or butter
6 shallots (Occasionally I use a red onion, since I always have them on hand)
1 1/2 tbsp AP flour
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp mild chili powder
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 finely diced Serrano chili
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
3 cups of water
1 lb. Salmon fillet or steak, deboned, skinned and cut into 1" pieces
1 cup thick coconut milk (make sure to include the thick bits of the milk)
1 tsp white wine vinegar
Freshly crushed black peppercorns
Chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves
1. Sautée shallots in ghee/butter until browned.
2. Add flour, tomato paste, chili powder, coriander, turmeric and salt. Mix well.
3. While stirring constantly (to avoid lumps), slowly add the water and bring to a boil.
4. Add fish, cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the fish is cooked.
5. Remove from heat and stir in coconut milk and vinegar.
6. Sprinkle with crushed black pepper and chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves and serve.
If you don't have naan, some plain rice in the bottom of the bowl would work very nicely for soaking up the juices, too. And of course, there's no strict need to stay on an Asian theme, either: you could just get a baguette. After all, the Vietnamese learnt to make a baguette from the French -- theirs is made from rice flower, and called Bánh mì.
