This Easy Fish Kurma | Korma is a South Indian style fish stew that uses white snapper fillets to create a beautiful family meal for four! Its flavourful yet easy to prepare and impressive on the palate. You could also use red snapper, ling fish or barramundi fillets in place of white snapper fillets.

This is a no-blend recipe that makes the best use of pantry basics with the most flavour! I love how it comes together with ease and tastes great with little effort!

The word Korma | Kurma refers to a type of stew using meat or vegetables braised with water, stock, yoghurt, or cream.

Think of Kurma as a richly spiced Indian dish of a protein such as chicken, mutton, lamb etc., containing little or no chilli. It is cooked in yogurt | cream or it can be enriched with nuts such as almonds, cashews, pistachios or a combination of all these nuts.

Kurma | Korma curry is a legacy of the Mogul emperors and originated from the Moghul cuisine, especially in the north of India. Most Kurma curries are subtle in taste but complex in flavours with whole aromatic spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cumin in a rich fried onion and yogurt- based curry sauce with a layer of ghee on top.

Although Kurma | Korma curries are very popular, it is uncommon to use fish in Kurma curries because Kurma curries are traditionally prepared with meats or vegetables.

This Easy Fish Kurma | Korma is a fuss-free, no blend Kurma and does not use the traditional method. If you love your Kurma and have no time to make it the traditional way, this is a reliable recipe for you to cook at home.

In this cheat’s way to make Kurma, standard Indian pantry staples are simply combined with yogurt, coconut milk and a dash of almond meal to form the flavour base. The fish is marinated briefly in this tasty Korma sauce and then simmered with sauteed aromatics resulting in a rich, flavour-based sauce but without the fuss.

Quick. Easy. Delicious. Oh! so convenient.

This recipe is all about clever use of convenience ingredients from an Indian pantry and in my opinion, is an easy style of Indian cooking.

In this reliable version of the Easy Fish Kurma | Korma, grab a few staple spices from your pantry to build flavour, colour and depth. Grab your yogurt and coconut milk for a rich creamy texture and taste to the final dish. This recipe is most certainly a smart shortcut without compromising on taste.

This Kurma | Korma is a lifesaver where pantry basics are used well to enhance this dish, as well as saving buckets of your precious time.

Here’s what goes into making the Easy Fish Kurma|Korma:

• Skin-on or skin-off fillets – This recipe works well for about 600g of any white fish fillets and makes 4 medium servings. I have used skin-on white snapper fillets, that I pin boned at home using fish tweezers and removed all the residual scales using a knife. Warning: Please pin bone the fillets to avoid choking hazards and a pleasurable eating experience.

• Onion – I have used 1 large finely minced brown onion (200g) for a lovely flavoursome base to enhance the taste of the marinated fish. This amount of onion also gives good body to the sauce.

• Ginger and garlic – A tablespoon each of freshly minced ginger and garlic will really boost flavour, while adding texture at the same time.

In addition to the above base ingredients, we need to make the Kurma | Kurma sauce. Here we are using standard ground Indian pantry staples to make this delicious Kurma | Korma Sauce:

• Ground spices – Paprika, cumin powder, coriander powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder are all the basic spices you need to add flavour, colour and depth to the fish.

• Tomato paste – Adding a small quantity of tomato paste complements the spices and also balances the colour nicely. Less is more, therefore add only what is called for in the recipe.

• Almond meal (optional) – Traditionally, Kurma is a nut and yogurt/cream-based curry. Adding almond meal is optional in this recipe, however, I have added ¾ tbsp. for texture and added taste. If you do not wish to add almond meal, the Kurma | Korma will be runnier and slightly soupy but works perfectly if served on rice.

• Coconut milk – Coconut milk makes the final dish tasty and adds texture. In South India, we add coconut milk due to an abundance of coconuts on the coast, while the North Indians would add cream as the base for the sauce. I personally prefer coconut milk in this recipe, as it pairs well with Greek yogurt.

• Greek yogurt – An essential Kurma ingredient, for a slightly tangy, creamy texture, that I love. I also think it mellows the spicy notes and helps thicken the Kurma sauce.