Ingredients

1200 grams whole fish (whiteflesh)
2-4  tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons curry powder
1 medium onion finely chopped
450 grams can of finely crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon thyme finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed ginger
5-6 curry leaves
3 cups water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
oil to deep fry fish
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Buy fish whole and scaled. Cut into slices (serve sizes), clean fish, remove gills, intestines etc. You may separate the fish head into halves lengthwise. Wash in cold running water, pat dry with kitchen towel paper. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle fish slices with the corn flour to ensure an even coating. Put the fish head pieces aside. Alternatively, toss the fish pieces in a large plastic bag with the corn flour. The corn flour will give the fish a crisp golden texture when fried.

Deep fry the fish slices to a crisp golden finish. Do not fry the fish head pieces. Drain the fried fish slices on kitchen paper. Retain 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil. Put in a deep thick bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the crushed garlic, crushed ginger, finely chopped onion and thyme. Stir fry until the onions become transparent and cooked. Add the curry leaves (alternatively use kaffir lime leaves), stir in and cook for 2 minutes. Put in the finely crushed tomatoes and simmer until the tomatoes are cooked and the sauce is well blended. Add hot water to the sauce to prevent burning if necessary. Stir at intervals. When the sauce is nearly cooked, stir in 1 tablespoon of the finely chopped coriander leaves.

Add 4 tablespoons of curry powder into the tomato sauce. Stir in and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes. Progressively add 1 cup of hot water and allow to simmer to obtain a creamy curry sauce. Add the raw fish head pieces and gently stir into the curry sauce. Progressively, add 2 cups of hot water into the sauce and mix carefully. Cover and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the fish head pieces are cooked. Stir at intervals and turn over the fish head pieces once. You may adjust the sauce consistency to your preference by either adding more hot water (little at a time) to have more sauce or simmer without cover to thicken the sauce.

Taste sauce and season with salt & pepper to your preference. Carefully remove the fish head pieces and place in a warmed serving dish. Carefully put into the sauce the fried fish slices. Stir gently into the sauce and allow to simmer for a further 10-15 minutes. Make sure that the fish slices are fully immersed into the sauce.

Remove from heat and allow the fish slices to rest in the sauce for at least 30 minutes. Warm over low heat just before serving. Carefully transfer the fish slices and sauce into the serving dish with the fish head pieces. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped coriander leaves.

Enjoy and serve over rice. Just beautiful.

Ingredients

125 grams of crab meat or
175 grams chicken breast meat
1/2 teaspoon freshly crushed ginger
2 egg whites
3-4 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon cornflour paste
600 ml chicken or vegetable stock
225 grams canned creamed sweet corn
Salt and pepper to taste
Finely chopped spring onions

Method
Flake the crab meat. Alternatively coarsely chop the chicken meat. Mix the flaked crab meat or coarsely chopped chicken with the crushed ginger.

Whisk the egg whites until frothy in a container large enough to contain the flaked crab or chopped chicken, then add the milk and cornflour paste. Mix well together and beat until smooth. Blend in manually the crab meat or the coarsely chopped chicken.

Bring the stock to the boil, add the creamed sweet corn. Simmer the stock and creamed sweet corn for 1 minute. Stir in the crab or chicken pieces and the egg white mixture. Mix well together and allow to simmer for 2 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir gently until well blended.

Serve hot, garnished with chopped spring onions. Perfect as an entrée for all meals.

Ingredients

4 medium green (or white) chokoes
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Replace chokoes with cauliflower.

Method

Peel and cut chokoes into 3 cm pieces.

Boil in enough water with half teaspoon salt, to cover choko pieces until tender, but not soft.

Remove from pan, strain and place in deep serving dish. Allow to cool.

Melt butter in a sauce pan and add flour. Mix well and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Add milk gradually to the flour and butter mix.

Blend gradually. Bring back to boil stirring constantly.

Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Beat egg yolks in a bowl. Beat in a few tablespoons of hot sauce. Return to remaining sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour over choko pieces. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Serve with roast chicken and freshly baked bread.

Ingredients

For cooking fish prior to serving with bechamel sauce:

650 grams white flesh fish (whole)
1/2 cup white wine
bouquet garni (thyme, parsley & coriander leaves)
5 cups water
1 medium onion minced
2 slices lemon
salt and pepper to taste

For the bechamel sauce, you may adjust ingredients to suit the quantity of sauce required.

Clean and scale fish while keeping the whole fish in one piece. Take care while cooking to ensure that the fish is not overcooked.

Bechamel sauce for serving cooked fish with:

4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons plain white flour
2 cups milk
2 bay leaves
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 parsley sprigs for decoration

Method

Place the fish in a large and deep saucepan with all the ingredients listed for cooking the fish. Bring to the boil over medium high heat. Make sure there is enough water to keep the fish immersed at all times.

Allow the fish to simmer until it is cooked to your preference. Make sure that the fish is not overcooked. Check at regular intervals until fish is just cooked without breaking into pieces.

Carefully remove the fish in one piece and transfer to a serving dish. The bechamel sauce will be poured onto the fish.
Melt the butter for the bechamel in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook until just golden, stirring constantly to ensure a smooth blend.

Pour in half the milk, stirring vigorously until smooth, then stir in the remaining milk. Add the bay leaves.
Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer gently for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure that the sauce consistency is neither too thick nor too liquid.

Pour on top of the cooked fish in the serving plate and serve immediately. Decorate with the parsley sprigs.
Serve with salad and freshly cooked bread. Ideal as an appetiser before the main course.

Ingrédients

1 poisson de deux kilos (évidé)
2 gros oignons
250 grammes de pommes d’amour
2 cuillerées à bouche de purée de tomate
1 poivron
Huile (arachide ou tournesol)
Thym et persil
Quelques feuilles de “carripoulé” (si disponible)
1 cuillerée à café de gingembre
1 cuillerée à café d’ail écrasé

Préparation:

Etriper le poisson et enlever la tête. Faire trois entailles de chaque côté du poisson, saler et poivrer.
Chauffer de l’huile et y mettre le poisson à frire. (5 à 8 minutes en le retournant). Veiller à ce qu’il ne s’attache point à la poêle. Enlever le poisson frit et se débarrasser de l’huile de friture.

Faire revenir dans un peu d’huile les oignons coupés en rondelles. Y ajouter ensuite les ; pommes d’amour épépinées. (Mélange plus homogène si elles sont passées au mixer). Ajouter la purée de tomates, l’ail et le gingembre, le thym et le persil, le poivron coupé en rondelles. Saler et poivre a votre goût.

Après 10 minutes de cuisson à feu vif, remettre le poisson dans la poêle et l’arroser de la préparation. L’y laisser 2 minutes à feu doux.

Yields: 4 servings