Mmaking Making Masala Fish Dumpling Curry

In a medium sized pot, fry the onions in the oil until translucent, add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes. Pop in the curry and coriander powder, the chopped chilli and stir until all the ingredients are coated. Contribute 250ml of water, the cardamom pods and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, then tip the tin of tomatoes including the juice into the pot and stir, Cook for a further 10 minutes on a medium heat and using a wooden spoon break the chunks of tomatoes into smaller pieces. Squeeze a lemon into the gravy just before serving. The masala sauce should have thickened but avoid it drying up too much as it needs to be runny enough to cover the dumplings and soak the rice.

Serve with basmati rice cooked with petit pois, place the fish dumplings on top and spoon the masala sauce over it.

Madonna's Forearms

Resolving to balance my diet with more fish and veg, my eyes persuaded me to linger at the sight of a juicy glistening side of salmon. Approaching the counter I put my negotiating skills into sport mode, an Asian inheritance picked up by watching my grandmother shop at the local grocers, plucking grapes and performing a mock wince she’d barter the price down to her accepted level of purchase.

“Hi there, how much for the salmon side please?” His reply was met with a smile and a tiny shake of my head. “What can you do on the price? I mean it’s 4:30pm and it’s not sold.”

A little surprised at the question and visibly knocked off guard, he responds by punching some numbers into his scales. “Let’s see what we can do” he mutters and rounds the price off to a happy ten percent discount. All supermarket fresh counters have a margin they can discount to it’s simply a matter of asking.

Weeks later, frozen and forgotten (like most resolutions) I happened across the salmon after searching for the tub of Mackies ice cream. Nudging aside the petit pois I rescued it from its frozen burial ground and removed it from its plastic swaddling to thaw. It sat on the worktop, deep pink and hard like Madonna’s forearms. Twenty four hours later and a free Saturday afternoon I indulged in some kitchen alchemy.

Half a kilo of steamed salmon, crushed potatoes and a blend of larder ingredients, the mix delivered a battalion of tender walnut sized dumplings, flecked with checks of brilliant green. Crumbly, delicate and shooting off gentle rounds of chilli pellets but softened by the citrusy shells of coriander seeds. The fish koftas sat in perfect company with basmati rice scattered with petit pois and a simple tomato masala sauce. Gorgeous bowl food, this Indian fish kofta recipe is great devoured with friends or as a delightful solo indulgence.