This Curry of Salted Rabbit Fish with Moringa leaves is a mild curry which is flavoured with coconut milk, turmeric and cinnamon. It is a creamy curry which is full of nutty flavour. Traditionally served with freshly steamed rice and a cucumber salad.
- 2 salted rabbit fish
- ½ onion- coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic - crushed
- 1 tsp crushed ginger
- 1½ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tins coconut milk or milk of three coconuts
- 2 litre water to boil fish
- 2 cinnamon leaves or 1 quill
- 1 bunch fresh moringa leaves or 500g frozen moringa leaves
- 2 Fresh chilli , preferably goat chillies - seeded and cut in half
- Salt and cracked black pepper
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Soak salted fish and the frames in cold water for about two hours to dilute the salt content from and to rehydrate the fish.
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Remove the fish from soaking liquid and place in a colander and give a quick wash under running water and allow to drain.
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In a medium pot add about 2 litres of water and bring to the boil and boil fish for about 10 minutes. Remove from hot water and allow to cool.
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Once cooled, pat dry and cut fish into bite size portions. Remember to cut the frames as well.
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Place a medium size pot on your working top and add the cut fish and all the ingredients, except ½ of the garlic and ½ of the ginger , stir a few times to mix all ingredients.
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When you are happy that the ingedients are thoroughly mix, place the pot on medium heat and cook, with lid off, for about 20 minutes, stirring a few times.
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Add remaining garlic and ginger and thoroughly stir in, cook for another 2 minutes and remove from heat.
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Remove cut chilli if required.
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Season and serve with boiled rice, freshly made chilli sauce and a cucumber salad or a freshly made chutney
The traditional way of cooking this dish is to leave the bones on. This however makes eating the dish quite a difficult experience to the uninitiated except if you choose the tail end of the fillets where there are minimal bones.
You may also attempt to remove the bones. This will be very arduous and you may end up breaking the fish into very small pieces.
You will notice that when cooking this curry I do not sweat the onion like you would when cooking most other curries and also there is no addition of any vinegary or acidic ingredients, because acidic ingredients may curdle your coconut milk, especially if it has been freshly made.
The chillies are sliced in half and seeds removed so that they can impart some heat and extra flavour and can easily be removed before service. Biting on a goat chilli is not for the faint hearted.
If you prefer a spicier version of this curry, you may add two crushed goat chillies ,or piman kabri , with seeds left in, or use a hot curry powder.