Sri Lankan Fish curry is one of the staple curries in Sri Lanka. It is delicious, not very spicy and can be enjoyed with almost anything. Sri Lankan fish curry is made with coconut milk and has a deep rich flavour.
There are two types of fish curries that we make in Sri Lanka. One is called “Kirata” and “Mirisata” Kirata means it’s the yellowish fish curry that is not spicy. ” Mirisata” means spicy and has a reddish tone to the colour. Both are delicious but when I think about morning breakfast with string hoppers and pol sambol, I would instantly go for “Malu kirata” because it just pairs so well. Sri Lankan king fish curry recipe
Sri Lankan yellow fish curry, Sri Lankan fish curry kirata all means Sri Lankan fish curry.
Sri Lankan Fish Curry Recipe
In my household, we ate a lot of spicy food and we rarely ate fish curry kirata (Non-spicy). Fish curry was a staple in our household but it was always done mirisata (Spicy). In Sri Lanka, we ate a lot of seafood because we are an island surrounded by the ocean and fish was more affordable than many other proteins.
What Goes In Sri Lankan Fish curry
Fish – I have explained down below which fish is best to use for Sri Lankan fish curry
Sri Lankan spices – These are a staple in any Sri Lankan curry, I have also indicated where you can find good Sri Lankan curry powder form as it is not freely available everywhere.
Coconut milk – I am 100% certain all our curries, have coconut milk in them it is another ingredient that Sri Lankan cuisine will always have. Sri Lanka is full of coconut trees all over the country.
how to cook Sri Lankan fish curry
Sri Lankan fish curry is a one-pot dish that is all made in one pot. every curry is actually a one-pot dish. It is very simple as making the gravy and then adding in the fish to absorb all the flavours. Usually protein like chicken, beef, pork, or lamb curries, you would add the protein in the beginning and then build flavour on it, but with seafood, because they are delicate. we usually make the gravy and then add the seafood at the last minute.
The Essential Equipment Needed To Make Sri Lankan Fish Curry
What To Serve With Sri Lankan Fish Curry
- Rice
- String hoppers
- Hoppers
- Bread
- Coconut Roti
How To Store Sri Lankan Fish Curry
In Sri Lanka, most of the protein curry tastes better the next day. And usually, in households, they would cook the curries in the morning and eat the same curry morning, noon and night with different starches. For example, in the morning you will have fish curry and milk rice or bread then for lunch you will have fish curry and rice with other vegetable curries then for dinner it will be fish curry and string hoppers or bread. So the curry that is eaten in the morning will last until the night the flavour develops over time and cooking in clay pots helps to build that flavour quickly as well.
Store it in the fridge. covered well. curries usually last for 3-4 days in the fridge
How To Reheat Sri Lankan Fish Curry
When reheating you can always reheat it in a pot or in the microwave until heated through
Which fish is best to cook in a curry
- Kingfish
- Thalapath
- Any firm white fish will work well
Where can I find a good quality Sri Lankan curry powder
We as Sri Lankans would always go to a Sri Lankan grocery shop here in Australia to buy Sri Lankan spices but you can buy them online through lord and lion (they have all spices in one box so you don’t have to keep looking for each individual spice)
You can also check my other Sri Lankan recipes here
Step By Step Guide On How To Make In Sri Lankan Fish curry
Equipment
- 1 Sauce pan
Ingredients
Marinating fish
- 600 g Thalapath (Any firm White fish)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Chilli powder
- 1/2 Lime
Curry
- 3 tbsp Oil Coconut, olive, canola
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- 2 tbsp Garlic Sliced
- 1 Red onion Sliced
- 1 tsp Fenugreek
- 2 Green chillies Sliced
- 2 Pieces Cinnamon sticks
- 200 ml Coconut milk
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Chilli powder
- 1 Tomato or ( 3 goraka)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Marinating the fish
- Cut the fish into large chunks, place all the marinade ingredients and mix well with the fish in a medium-size bowl. Leave aside for 1 hour until marinated
Curry
- Heat a medium saucepan on medium fire with oil, add onion, garlic, curry leaves, chilli and fenugreek saute well until soft
- Then add cinnamon, coconut milk, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and pepper and bring to a boil
- Once it comes to a boiling point, add the well-marinated fish, Tomato or goraka into the curry and let it simmer on a low fire until the fish is cooked and the curry has thickened.
- Finally, add dijon mustard, adjust the seasoning and serve with hot rice.