Curried Pickled Fish Old Traditional South African Recipes

PICKLED FISH

Steps:

• Lightly season the fish with salt and curry powder and coat with oil before baking in the oven or air fryer for 15 to 20 minutes at 180°C, or until cooked through.
• For the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan, add onion rings and fry for a few minutes (it should retain a good crunch).
• Add garlic, peppercorns, allspice berries, curry powder, turmeric, crushed coriander seeds, garam masala, chilli flakes if using and lemon or bay leaves and stir through.
• Add vinegar and water and bring to a simmer. Add sugar and stir until dissolved
• Season with salt to taste.
• Combine the cornflour with a little water into a paste and stir into sauce. Allow the sauce to simmer gently while stirring until it has thickened.
• Let the sauce cool down.
• Add half the sauce in a single layer into a glass or ceramic dish. Pack the fish fillets on top covering with the remainder of the sauce.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before eating.

CAPE MALAY PICKLED FISH

Steps:

• Pickle the fish: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 20 minutes. Add curry powder, turmeric, paprika, and coriander; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add allspice, turbinado sugar, ginger, chiles, dried bay leaves, and salt; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
• Carefully add vinegar and 1 cup water; increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook pickling mixture for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour some of the pickling mixture into a 12-inch glass dish. Add an even layer of fish and pour over a little more of the pickling mixture. Add another layer of fish and repeat process until all the fish and pickling mixture have been used. Top with fresh bay or lemon leaves; loosely cover and let cool completely. Cover tightly and transfer dish to refrigerator; refrigerate for 2 days.
• Fry the fish: Remove fish from pickle, reserving onions, and pat dry. Place flour in a shallow dish and set aside. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge fish in flour, shaking off excess. Add fish to skillet and cook, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer fish to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
• Serve: Meanwhile, place raisins in a small bowl and add enough water to cover; set aside. Fill a large bowl with 4 cups water; add salt and stir to combine. Add cabbage, apples, and celery; let stand 20 minutes.
• Drain raisins and cabbage mixture and add both to a large bowl along with parsley, mint, and cilantro; toss to combine. Serve fish topped with reserved pickled onions and cabbage mixture; garnish with cilantro leaves.

CAPE MALAY PICKLED FISH

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the fish with salt and place in the skillet. Fry on both sides until fish is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
• Fry the onions and garlic in the same skillet over medium heat until translucent. Add the peppercorns, allspice berries, bay leaves, and red chile pepper. Pour in the vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Stir in the brown sugar until dissolved. Season with curry powder, turmeric, cumin and coriander. Taste and adjust the sweetness if desired.
• Layer pieces of fish and the pickling mixture in a serving dish. Pour the liquid over until the top layer is covered. Allow to cool then cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.

KALYA E KHAAS (TRADITIONAL SOUTH AFRICAN CHICKEN CURRY)

Steps:

• Wash the chicken and pat dry.
• Combine the yogurt, tomatoes, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, cumin, chilies, saffron, turmeric, cayenne, ginger, garlic and salt.
• Pour mixture over the chicken, turning the pieces until they are well coated.
• While they marinate, in a large heavy skillet or stew pot, fry the onions gently in the butter and oil until light, golden brown. Let onions cool slightly and crush them with the back of a spoon.
• Add entire contents of the marinating bowl. Simmer until chicken is tender, adding small amounts of water as needed to keep the contents from sticking.
• Garnish with cilantro and mint and serve with rice or Indian bread.