This Fish Kofta Curry has to be one of my favourite curries!

Originally posted to my facebook page a long time ago, I wanted to add this to the blog for those of you that might not have come across this recipe. It’s a really simple way of cooking fish which results in a very different texture but most importantly, it’s soooo tasty! Kids love this Fish Kofta Curry recipe too, even fussy ones who don’t like fish because they can’t tell that it’s fish they’re eating, they think it’s chicken balls.

I use Pangasius fillets which are widely available, but instead of cooking them as they are, I mince the fillets adding spices to create a fish mince. Bengali people often cook this curry using a more familiar fish specifically used for this dish, known as Chittal/Chittol Maas, which is very bony and cumbersome to turn into fish mince. The process is very lengthy, or so I’ve been told (I’ve never actually done it myself) but why go to all that trouble when there is a simpler method? The texture achieved from mincing the Pangasius fillets is almost exactly the same as that of minced Chittal/Chittol Maas.

I do enjoy cooking authentic traditional recipes and you’ll find lots on my blog, like my Akhni Fulab and Classic Lamb & Potato Curry but when there’s a shortcut to be had, I’m all for taking it! Traditionally people like to fry the fish koftas before adding them to the masala, I personally don’t feel it’s necessary (what can I say? I’m lazy like that), so I skip this part and add the shaped fish balls straight to the masala, equally as tasty and job done in half the time!

Whilst I have used a saucepan for this recipe, ideally you should try to use a shallow wide pan so that the koftas can be placed directly in the pan without the need for layering the balls on top of one another, this way you don’t have to worry about them sticking to each other (don’t ask me why I didn’t use the pan I should’ve on this occasion). I also like adding fenugreek (methi) seeds to this curry but forgot to add them when I cooked it this time round, either way works well. If you manage to remember all the pointers here you’ll have done far better than me, but more to the point, I want you to share my excitement at how easy and tasty this curry is!

You will need: for Fish Kofta Curry

For masala:
1 large onion OR 2 small onions
oil (approx 120ml)
a small pinch of fenugreek (methi) seeds (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp mixed curry powder (I use Rajah brand)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
water (as desired)
4 green chillies
fresh/frozen coriander for garnishing

For mincing fish:
700g Pangasius fillets (also known as Pangash in Bengali)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp mixed curry powder
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp ground panch puran (Indian five spice)

Method:

Peel and quarter the onion(s) and blitz in your food processor, you can slice the onion(s) if you prefer. Whenever I process the onion(s) in a food processor, I find I tend to need a little more oil to cook a curry, if you want to avoid this then just slice the onion(s) by hand and follow the recipe as is. The only reason I blitz them in this way is because it cooks quicker.

Heat approximately 120ml of oil in a medium – large saucepan like the one pictured here (although a wider pan with more base room is preferable, don’t ask me why I didn’t use one myself).

Once the oil is hot, add a pinch of fenugreek (methi) seeds if you are using them, followed by the blitzed onions and 1 tsp of salt (you can adjust this later if necessary). Cover and cook the onions till they are soft and translucent (about 10 minutes). While the onions cook prepare to process/mince the fish.

Make sure the Pangasius fillets have thoroughly defrosted before you attempt to blitz them, you’ll damage your food processor otherwise. Rinse and drain the fillets to remove excess water before commencing.

I don’t own a large food processor but own this handheld blender/mini chopper which serves the same purpose. To aid mincing the fish I like to cut them in half and then cube the fillets.

Next add the spices to the food processor; 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp mixed curry powder and 1/2 tsp  ground panch puran (Indian five spice).

Chop 2 green chillies and add to the food processor also (chop it finely before adding to the food processor as I find the processor often leave chunks of chilli otherwise)….

….blitz it until you have a smooth fish mince/mixture and transfer to a bowl.

As my food processor is small, I process the fillets in two batches, make sure you mix both parts really well to ensure the spices and chillies are evenly distributed (bottom right photo), leave to one side after mixing.

By now the onions should be soft and translucent, if you find the onions are a little dry as I did, add a splash of water to loosen.

Next add the ground spices; 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp mixed curry powder (I use Rajah brand), 1/2 tsp turmeric powder….

….and 1 tsp coriander powder. Mix the spices and add a little more water if your onions seem too dry.

Cook the masala covered for a 5 – 7 minutes, till you can see the oil has separated from the masala.

Once the oil has separated you want to start forming round balls/koftas with the fish mince and place them in the pan, the mixture will be sticky and can be difficult to mould, so you don’t need to shape them perfectly.

Fill the bottom of the pan and then start to layer the fish balls on top (don’t worry if they get stuck together whilst cooking, they separate fairly easily afterwards). If you’ve used a wide shallow pan gently place them in one layer working from one side across to the other.

Once you have used up all of the fish, cover the pan and allow the koftas to cook through gently over a low – medium heat.

Once all the koftas look completely cooked (should take about 8 minutes) and opaque you can add some water to create the gravy, add as much or as little as you like. I added about 1 glass of cold water.

Slice the green chillies and add them over the top of the curry, cover and gently simmer over a medium heat for another 8 – 10 minutes.

You will find that the koftas swell up when the curry begins to boil (top left photo), this is completely normal and the koftas will return back to their normal size when the curry cools down. Turn the heat down low if the koftas swell up too much.

After the curry has boiled for the specified time, garnish with fresh/frozen coriander and promptly remove from the heat.

You should find that the oil rises to the top of the curry after it has cooled down and the curry has a beautiful colour, the aromas will fill the entire kitchen!

Serve your fish koftas with plain basmati or a Jeera rice and appreciate just how good fish can be!

Bon Appetit!

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