This is a simple dish which only requires the chopping of the garlic and the coriander leaves. It might be a nice way to introducing oneself to a couple of culinary techniques which are marinating - the method of soaking food in a seasoned liquid mixture before cooking and chopping or crushing garlic.

Tomato puree is a concentrated thick paste with a very strong tomato flavour. Tomato sauce is a condiment enhanced with various other ingredients. The piquancy of the tomato puree compliments the prawns and the heat of the chilli powder.

This is a traditional fish curry from Kerala in Southern India. It is cooked in an earthernware vessel known as a chatti which adds to the flavour. It is usually made with coconut oil, but I have used groundnut oil. I have also reduced the amount of chilli powder considerably.

Maacher Jhol

A typical Bengali fish curry, maacher jhol is a light fish stew, seasoned with ground spices: ginger, cumin, coriander, chilli and turmeric. The sauce is thin yet packed with flavour. Whole green chillies are usually added at the end of the cooking. Hoki is a succulent, white fish with a meaty texture that is perfect for thi

This recipe combines the flavours of Indian spices with olives. Black Olives can handle the intensity of certain Indian spices and do work well together from time to time.
Cod, haddock or pollack are good white fish but an oily fish such as mackerel can also be used which would give a deeper and richer flavour.

Maharashtrian Fish Curry - Kaalvan
This is a fish dish from my mum's mum who loved cooking for friends and family. Her generosity knew no bounds and she would help or even feed a stranger on a street. The spice blend can be replaced with 1/2 tsp of garam masala and a 1/4 tsp of chilli powder.

Generally prawns have already been shelled and deveined. However, if you need to devein them, you can do this with a thin, sharp knife. Make a cut along the back of one of the prawns, without cutting all the way through.

Traditionally, made with seer fish in Kerala, in southern India, this is a versatile
recipe that can be made with any white fish. The combination of the coconut and tamarind gives this dish a distinctive sweet-and-sour flavour.

I’ve used uncooked prawns from Thailand for this dish but you can used pre-cooked prawns.