Singapore Fish Head Curry
Fish with its head in a spiced tamarind and coconut milk sauce with eggplant, okra, and tomato. Makes 4 servings; timings are approximate.
This curry combines fish and vegetables with an aromatic base of garlic, chili, lemongrass, and ginger. The quantities and timings are intended as a guide for 4 servings; serve hot with steamed rice.
Method
- 01
Make the curry paste
Blend the garlic, small red chilies, lemongrass, red onion, fresh ginger, fresh turmeric, and galangal paste with the water for the curry paste until smooth. Use a mortar and pestle or a blender.
10 min - 02
Brown the eggplant
Heat the cooking oil in a large pot. Fry the eggplants in batches until browned and tender; remove and set aside.
5 min - 03
Cook the spices and paste
In the same pot, toast the cumin seeds, dried curry leaves, and dried red chilies until fragrant, taking care not to burn them. Add the curry paste and red curry powder; cook, stirring continuously, for 4–5 minutes, until the paste darkens and oil begins to separate.
5 min - 04
Make the sauce
Stir in the tamarind paste, coconut sugar, coconut milk, and salt. Let the mixture come to a gentle simmer. Add the water for the curry and the tomato, then bring the sauce to a boil.
5 min - 05
Cook the fish and vegetables
Add the white fish with head to the sauce. Cover and cook over low heat for 8–10 minutes, until cooked through. Add the okra during the last minute, then return the reserved eggplants to warm through before serving.
10 min
Ingredients
Sources and review
Content researched, cross-checked and automatically validated. Sources consulted:
- Higiene de los alimentos www.aesan.gob.es/seguridad-alimentaria/higiene-alimentos
- La Seguridad Alimentaria www.aesan.gob.es/dam/jcr:d4d7784a-9ca8-46d6-be84-25d7b5dedae6/seguridad_edu_secundaria.pdf
- Kuih - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuih
- Best Singapore recipes to cook at home | Marion's Kitchen www.marionskitchen.com/article/best-singapore-recipes/
- International Cooking: Food from Singapore - The Flavor Vortex www.theflavorvortex.com/international-cooking-food-from-singapore/
- 91 recetas muy ricas de singapur compartidas por cocineros caseros- Cookpad cookpad.com/es/buscar/singapur
- Singapur Noodles – Kwan Homsai www.kwanhomsai.com/singapur-noodles/
- Singapore food: 10 dishes and recipes to try | Expatica www.expatica.com/sg/about/culture/singapore-food-2172810/
- Home - My Singapore Food mysingaporefood.com/
- 10 platos típicos que comer en Singapur (sin remordimiento) www.mochileandoporelmundo.com/platos-tipicos-singapur/
- - YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETjFX4pUe78
- A history of Singapore, explained in 10 dishes roadsandkingdoms.com/2019/a-history-of-singapore-in-10-dishes/
- Singaporean cuisine - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singaporean_cuisine
- Singapore Curry Noodles | Edinburgh Diamond | Books doi.org/10.2218/9781912669318.3
- Singapore Fish Head Curry – AMCARMEN'S KITCHEN amcarmenskitchen.com/2021/11/24/singapore-fish-head-curry/
- Fish head curry recipe | josh iza.ac iza.ac/recipes/singaporean-fish-curry/
- Singapore Fish Head Curry - Experiences of a Gastronomad experiencesofagastronomad.com/singapore-fish-head-curry/
- - YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBy-bO6IP5E
- Best Food Experiences in Singapore: Tours, Classes & Dishes eatdrinktravel.com/best-food-experiences-in-singapore/
State: Published after documentary validation; no “Tested” label is shown.