Fish Suruwa

Ingredients

Fish

• 1 kgfirm fish, in thick steaks
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 teaspoonground turmeric
• 1 teaspoonsalt

Masala base

• 2onions, finely chopped
• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 3cm ginger, grated
• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 4 tablespoonsoil
• 1 teaspooncumin seed
• 1 teaspoonmustard seed
• 3 tablespoonscurry powder
• 1 teaspoonground turmeric
• 2green chillies, split
• 15curry leaves

To finish

• 400 mlcoconut milk
• 200 mlwater
• salt and black pepper
• a handful of coriander, chopped
• juice of 1 lime

To serve

• plain rice
• or roti
• achar, pickle
• dhal

Directions

1. Cut it into thick steaks on the bone. Preparing the fish takes a moment. Rinse the steaks under cold water. Rub them with lime juice, turmeric and salt.
2. Let them sit for twenty minutes. That helps it hold together in the sauce. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan. Add the cumin and mustard seeds. Let them pop and sizzle in the oil. Add the curry leaves, standing back. They spit hard in the hot oil. Add the finely chopped onions.
3. Cook them for about eight minutes. They should soften and turn golden. Add the garlic, ginger and split chillies. Cook them for a good two minutes. Mix the curry powder with a little water.
4. Add that curry paste to the pan. Fry it for a full four minutes. Stir it constantly so it does not catch. The raw spice must be cooked out. Oil should separate at the edges. Add the chopped tomatoes to it. Cook them down for about six minutes.
5. Mash them against the pan as they soften. The base should become quite thick. Pour in the coconut milk and the water. Stir it through the masala thoroughly. Bring it to a very gentle simmer. Never boil coconut milk hard, which splits it.
6. Season it with salt and black pepper. Let it simmer for about ten minutes. It should thicken slightly by then. Lay the fish steaks into the sauce. Do not stir the pan after this point. Cover it and simmer very gently. Give the fish about ten minutes. Cook it uncovered a few minutes to reduce. Taste it and adjust the salt to suit. Finishing it is done off the heat.
7. Squeeze in the juice of the lime. Stir in most of the chopped coriander. Let it sit covered for five minutes. Serving it is done hot with rice. Spoon it into bowls over plain rice. Scatter the rest of the coriander over. Serve achar and dhal alongside. It keeps two days refrigerated.

Technique

• Indo-Fijians descend from indentured labourers brought from India between eighteen seventy-nine and nineteen sixteen, more than sixty thousand people, under a system called indenture whose Fiji Hindi name girmit comes from the English word agreement.
• Indenture followed the abolition of slavery and supplied plantation labour by other means, under conditions documented as harsh, and many labourers never returned to India.
• The labourers brought Indian spicing but not Indian ingredients, adapting to reef fish and coconut, which is why Indo-Fijian cooking is neither Indian nor Fijian exactly.

Substitutions

• Any firm fish works, and mahi mahi and snapper are both used in Fiji.
• Chicken or goat are curried the same way and are equally common.

Variations

• Some cooks fry the fish lightly before adding it to the sauce.
• A version with more chilli is made for those who want heat.
• Chicken suruwa and goat suruwa use the same masala base.

History

An Indo-Fijian curry from the girmitiya indenture era, when labourers from India brought spices and adapted them to reef fish and coconut.

Frequently asked questions

What is Fish Suruwa?

Fish Suruwa is a main from Fiji: indo-Fijian fish curry with coconut milk, tomato and spices. An Indo-Fijian curry from the girmitiya indenture era, when labourers from India brought spices and adapted them to reef fish and coconut.

How long does Fish Suruwa take to make?

Fish Suruwa takes 30 minutes of preparation and 35 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Fish Suruwa?

Yes, within limits. Any firm fish works, and mahi mahi and snapper are both used in Fiji. Chicken or goat are curried the same way and are equally common.

What is the most important thing to get right in Fish Suruwa?

Add that curry paste to the pan. Fry it for a full four minutes. Stir it constantly so it does not catch. The raw spice must be cooked out. Oil should separate at the edges. Add the chopped tomatoes to it. Cook them down for about six minutes.