New recipe with pictures at http://sleevers.wordpress.com/2013/09/28/high-protein-paleo-gluten-free-fish-masala-curry/

As many of you know, I’m not a professional cook so there’s a lot of trial and error going on for me. One of the hardest things since being sleeved, is knowing how much to cook and getting the proportions right. I struggle with this, and this recipe is a classic example of it.

You’ll note that I made twice as much of the “masala” as I should have. Since the masala is the most time-consuming part of this recipe, and since it keeps very well, I thought I’d leave the recipe as is, and let you save half the masala as I did. Tomorrow, I will show you how to re-purpose that into something else. So here goes.

Ingredients

1 lb firm-flesh fish (I used a combination of halibut, shrimp, and scallops because that’s what I had!)

1 small onion

3 cloves garlic

2 in piece of ginger

1 medium tomato

1/4 c of shredded, unsweetened coconut (if unavailable, use some coconut milk instead of water)

3 tsp oil

2 tsp ground turmeric

1/8 tsp mustard seeds

1/8 tsp cumin seeds

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garam masala

salt to taste

1 c water

4 tbsp chopped cilantro for garnish and flavor

Method

1. Marinate the fish with 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp turmeric and 1/4 tsp salt

2. Meanwhile, pulse the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor or chop finely. Do not liquefy.

3. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. When it starts to shimmer, put in the mustard and cumin seeds and let them sputter. This sounds like popcorn popping.

3. Add in the onion/garlic/ginger mix and cook over medium heat. This is a labor of love so do not rush it. It may take 10 minute and that’s just the way it goes.

4. Add in the chopped tomatoes, all of the rest of the spices and the coconut and mix well.

6. Realize that you have no idea how to make small quantities. Take out half the masala and save it in a tupperware container.

7. Into the remaining masala, add in half a cup of water, and the fish that has been marinating.

8. Cover and let it come to a boil. When it boils, take it off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes so that the fish cooks gently. This keeps it from over-cooking.

9. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

While the rest of your family might enjoy this over rice, we gave ourselves two pieces of fish and a little sauce. Then we shredded the fish and ate it semi-moist. It was moist, but not soupy and therefore not a slider.

You real should make a recipe book! Sounds delish and your side comments are very entertaining .

I love masala curry - anyone vegetarian can always substitute meats with chick peas or squash (squash by the way with it's natural sweetness is wonderful) but masala base works with a lot of veggies.

Yum! I've been looking everywhere around here for paneer with no luck, so this is a wonderful alternative. And so low fat, which is crucial for me because when I have too much fat I get dumping syndrome. (FUN!)

Thanks for the great recipe. xoxo