Coconut fish curry

The consumption of fish in Vanuatu occurs on a large scale due to its availability in abundance. It requires cooking the fish primarily with coconut and some spices for quite some time. This dish tastes fantastic with some steamed rice and also comes out as very wholesome.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• thumb-sized piece ginger, finely grated
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp shrimp paste
• 1 small red chilli, shredded (deseeded if you don't like it too hot)
• 2 lemongrass stalks, split, then bruised with a rolling pin
• 1 heaped tbsp medium curry powder
• 1 heaped tbsp light muscovado sugar
• small bunch coriander, stems finely chopped
• 400g can coconut milk
• 450g skinless hake fillets, cut into rectangles, roughly credit card size
• 220g pack frozen raw whole prawns
• 1 lime, halved
• cooked rice, to serve

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a wide, lidded frying pan, then soften the onion for 5 mins.
• Increase the heat a little, stir in the ginger, garlic, shrimp paste, chilli and lemongrass, and cook for 2 mins.
• Add the curry powder and sugar, and keep stirring. When the sugar starts to melt and everything starts to clump together, add the coriander stems, coconut milk and 2 tbsp water, then bring to a simmer.
• Add the fish to the sauce, tuck the prawns in here and there, then squeeze over half the lime.
• Pop on the lid and simmer for 5 mins more or until the hake is just cooked and flaking, and the prawns are pink through.
• Taste for seasoning, adding a squeeze more lime to the sauce if you like. Scatter over the coriander leaves and serve with rice.