The Daily News Cookery Book is a stalwart of Sri Lankan Cooking, first published in 1929. My mum was given a copy as a wedding present which we still have and I have a copy of the 2013 edition which seems to be a paperback copy of the 1964 edition without the vintage ads but with all the quirkiness. This quirkiness oftentimes means it is not the easiest book to cook from. The methods of cooking can seem outdated, the measurements can be odd. So, I often use it more as an inspiration rather than something to follow exactly. This is how my dish of Fish with Mulligatawny Flavours came about. It was so tasty and delicious that I wanted to share it – and after all, it is truly revamping a retro dish for modern times!
So, I hear you ask, why not just make this as a mulligatawny? I had some really nice roti and I wanted to dip that bread into something thicker than a soup. A curry gravy seemed like the perfect thing. So, why not just call it a fish curry? I wanted to recognise the OG recipe which was for a fish mulligatawny. There are also some very non-traditional ingredients here – for instance, you would never see Thai Basil in a traditional Sri Lankan curry. However, I love its flavour, particularly with fish! Roti is also not a traditional accompaniment for Sri Lankan food – we do have a coconut roti but this is not the flaky type of bread I am referring to here.
Fish With Mulligatawny Flavours – The Recipes
And now here is the OG recipe. You can, of course, choose to make this version if you wish. Please let me know how it turns out if you do! If not keep reading for my version!
Fish with with Mulligatawny Flavours
A modern take on a vintage recipe for Fish Mulligatawny
Ingredients
- 4 red onions, 2 sliced, 2 chopped finely
- 1 sprig of curry leaves (about 20 leaves)
- 2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil, split
- *450g-600g fish fillets (I used Rockling) but any white fish would work.
- 1 270ml can of coconut milk
- 200g vegetable stock
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek powder
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 2cm stick of cinnamon
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 10cm stick of celery cut in 4 pieces
- 150g of green beans, chopped (optional)
- Salt
To Serve:
- Lime cheeks
- Thai basil or Coriander
- Roti or Rice
Instructions
- Heat half the ghee or coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the sliced onions, half the curry leaves and a pinch of salt.
- Drop the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are a deep brown. Take your time with this, it took me 20 minutes to get the onions as dark as I wanted them. Remove these from the pan and set aside.
- Wipe the pan and add the rest of the coconut oil / ghee.
- Once this is melted turn down the heat and add the chopped onions, the rest of the curry leaves, the coriander, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, cinnamon, garlic, ginger and celery.
- Cook stirring often until the spices are fragrant and the onions are softened.
- Add the stock and coconut milk. Cook this mixture down until the gravy reaches the consistency of thickened cream.
- Add the beans, if you are using them, to the pan.
- Sprinkle your fish fillets with salt and add to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your fish. When you turn the fish over, add the chopped tomatoes.
- Check for taste – add more salt and or a squeeze of lime to balance out the flavours.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and the pieces of celery.**
To Serve
- Place a fillet of fish on each place, spoon over the gravy and top each piece of fish with the reserved onion and curry leaf mix.
- Garnish with coriander, Thai basil and lime wedges
- Serve with rice and/or flaky roti to soak up that lovely gravy.
Enjoy!
Notes
*I had 450g of fish which was three fillets however there was a lot of gravy so you could easily add another fillet in for this same quantity.
** I do not like the texture of cooked celery so I like to remove it before serving. If you are happy to eat it, chop the celery into smaller slices, as you would when making a soup and leave it in.
This is a lovely gently spiced delicate dish – the perfect response to anyone who thinks that all Sri Lankan food is blow your head off hot!
I also found myself eating the leftover gravy with more of that roti the following day and it was also delicious!
I hope you have enjoyed my updating of this old recipe!
Have a great week!
