Fish in yogurt sauce

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 300 g fish fillet(s), fresh, diced
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 3 tsp mustard seeds, yellow
• 2 tsp coriander, whole
• 1 tsp chili pepper(s), small red, dried, extra hot
• 1 tsp cumin, whole
• 1 piece(s) ginger, about thumb-sized, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
• 3 m.-sized onion(s), cut into fine rings or chopped
• 250 g natural yogurt (cream yogurt, 10% fat, e.g. Greek)
• ½ tsp fenugreek
• 1 chili pepper(s), green
• Cardamom, 5 green capsules
• 1 stalk(s) cinnamon, approx. 4 cm long
• 4 carnations
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste, 3-fold concentrated
• 2 tbsp raisins
• lemon juice
• Salt
• 350 ml water

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

Variation of the Indian Doi Maach from Bengal – also very tasty with chicken

Add lemon juice to the fish, add salt, marinate, and rinse before use. Roast the coriander in a pot with a glass lid over medium heat without oil until fragrant. Be careful not to burn. The lid prevents the seeds from flying out of the pot. Do the same with the cumin. Grind the coriander, cumin, 1 teaspoon of dried chili peppers, and mustard seeds in a coffee grinder, for example. Then mix with the turmeric, ginger, garlic, and 350 ml of water and set aside. Heat ghee or clarified butter in a pan over medium heat. Sauté the fenugreek, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, green chili pepper, and cloves for about 1 minute. Add the onions and sauté for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Now add the spice-water mixture with tomato paste and raisins and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and sugar. Then simmer until the desired consistency is reached (not too runny or too thick). Reduce the heat and add the yogurt, stirring constantly, and cook for about 3 minutes while stirring. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water. Then season with salt. Now add the fish pieces to the sauce and cook for about 3 minutes. Turn over and let stand for another 3 minutes. Serve hot. Serve with basmati rice or naan. Tip: This sauce also goes well with chicken breast. Then omit the lemon juice and allow a little more cooking time for the chicken. Roasting and freshly grinding the spices gives the dish its true flavor and cannot be compared to ready-ground spices. It’s definitely worth the effort.