Creamy Coconut Indonesian Fish Curry - Kari Ikan
Creamy coconut, tangy lemongrass and tender white fish in a vibrant yellow curry. Indonesian Fish Curry (Kari Ikan) is delicately spiced and gorgeously aromatic, ready in just 30 minutes.
Servings 2 people
Calories 897kcal
Cost $10
Equipment
Ingredients
- 400 g white fish cut into 5 cm / 2 in pieces
- 1 lemongrass stalk cut in half, bruised
- 6 Thai makrut / kaffir lime leaves whole
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup coconut cream sub coconut milk
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
Spice Paste (don’t worry, it’s super easy)
- 6 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 3 large red chillis deseeded and chopped (for flavour)
- 2-3 shallots roughly chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp ginger chopped or minced
- 2 tsp lemongrass finely sliced
- 2 tsp palm sugar
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp lime juice or tamarind paste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 pinch nutmeg
Optional:
- 1 - 3 small red chilli for heat (to taste)
- white rice for serving
- crispy fried shallots for garnish
Instructions
For the Spice Paste
- Note: It's a big list but it’s super easy to blend everything within a minute! Pop everything on the spice paste list (garlic, large red chillies, small shallots, tomato, fish sauce, tumeric powder, ginger, lemongrass, palm sugar, ground coriander, lime juice or tamarind paste, black pepper, nutmeg and optional: small red chillies) into a food processor or blender. Pulse for 30 seconds to 1 minute to blend into a fragrant paste.6 cloves garlic, 3 large red chillis, 2-3 shallots, 1 tomato, 3 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp ginger, 2 tsp lemongrass, 2 tsp palm sugar, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp lime juice, ¼ tsp black pepper, 1 pinch nutmeg, 1 - 3 small red chilli
For the Curry
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok over a medium heat. Throw in the lemongrass stalk and kaffir lime leaves and stir fry for 1 minute. Then add the spice paste and give it a good stir, frying until fragrant (1-2 minutes).1 lemongrass stalk, 3 tbsp vegetable oil, 6 Thai makrut / kaffir lime leaves
- Add your white fish pieces, coating in the paste and frying for a further minute.400 g white fish
- Next, pour in your water and bring to a boil. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the fish is cooked through and changes from translucent to white.1 cup water
- Finally, turn down the heat to simmer on a medium heat and add in the coconut cream. Continue simmering for another 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.1 cup coconut cream
- Serve with your favourite fluffy white rice for the best curry experience and garnish with fried shallots.white rice, crispy fried shallots
Video
Notes
- Spice Paste Sticking? - If your spice paste is getting stuck in the blender, pour in a small dash of oil or water to help it along. You can also grind the spices with a mortar and pestle if you need.
- Stir Carefully - Fish is fragile once cooked, so take care when stirring the curry so it doesn’t flake and break apart.
- Adjust the Heat - Feel free to adjust how much chilli you use in the spice paste. You can always have extra sliced fresh chilli on hand to garnish for extra heat after serving.
- Coconut Cream - When using canned coconut cream shake or stir the can first – it may have separated from standing.
- Add Vegetables - Greens and vegetables such as spinach, bok choy, broccoli or carrot work well.
Nutrition
Calories: 897kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 67g | Saturated Fat: 56g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 2261mg | Potassium: 1784mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1420IU | Vitamin C: 155mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 8mg