Recipe: Coconut fish curry — and a new way to cook rice

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This week’s recipe is a satisfying case of reverse engineering. I first ate something like it as part of a tasting menu at Paradise, a bijou restaurant in the heart of Soho. This dish arrived as a perfect puck of fish on a thin pool of sauce. Very chic, very painterly, but it tasted in the best possible way like food made for the home. That’s because it is: this mild coconut-milk curry is a Sri Lankan staple, one of many that Paradise’s owner Dom Fernando has reinvented at his restaurant for a fancy crowd. Here he shares his recipe for something that makes sense in your own kitchen, and it feels particularly appropriate for the season when the ground is just starting to warm up.

Paradise’s kiri hodi and kiri bath

To serve four as a main

For the rice

For the kiri hodi

1. First, prepare the rice. Rinse it thoroughly then place in a pot. Add salt and water, then bring to a boil on medium heat.

2. Cover and let it simmer on a low heat until the rice absorbs all the water and is soft, about 20-25 minutes.

3. Add the coconut milk and vanilla essence to the rice and stir well. Continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the rice is thick and creamy.

4. After the rice is cooked, it can be placed in a deep tray (or cake tin) and put in the fridge to set. Cut into portions and reheat whenever you want.

5. Prepare the curry. Allow the fish to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. This will help with an even cook.

6. Into a saucepan over a medium heat, add a little vegetable oil and the onion, garlic, chilli, pandan leaf and curry leaves. Fry for a minute or two.

7. Add the turmeric, fenugreek seeds, curry powder, goraka, cinnamon, fish flakes and 250ml water. Keep on a low heat for five minutes while stirring slowly.

8. Add in the coconut milk and fish, and let it cook, while stirring so that the milk doesn’t boil over or curdle. Move your fish to the side of the pan if necessary and stir from the middle.

9. Once the fish is cooked (about seven to eight minutes) and feels firm, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Continue stirring for 15-20 seconds then add salt to taste.

10. Sprinkle some fresh coriander on top.

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