FISH TIKKA MASALA ON TURMERIC RICE
A seafood version of my favourite Indian curry! This fish tikka masala on turmeric rice is super easy thanks to a pre-prepared (albeit slightly tweaked) simmer sauce.
Baking the rice helps to make this meal a little more unique, and is really easy too. Just throw it in the oven and forget about it for 40 minutes. You can add some great flavours and I find it a lot less stressful than cooking rice on the stovetop (you don’t have to worry about it burning on the bottom of the saucepan!). If you love this way of cooking rice too, give my fish on creamy risotto recipe a try.
For non-seafood eaters, diced boneless skinless chicken thighs are a great alternative. It’s hard not to love chicken tikka masala!
FISH TIKKA MASALA
A seafood version of my favourite Indian curry! This fish tikka masala on turmeric rice is super easy thanks to a pre-prepared (albeit slightly tweaked) simmer sauce. Use chicken if you prefer!
Ingredients
TURMERIC RICE
- 1 1/2 cups brown basmati rice (300g)
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (500ml)
- 1/4 cup water (60ml)
- 1 small red onion
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 120 g baby spinach (4.2oz)
TIKKA MASALA FISH
- 450 g white fish fillets (1lb)
- 3 Tbsp sliced almonds
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 450 g tikka masala simmer sauce (1lb)
- 1/4 cup plain, unsweetened yoghurt (60ml)
TO SERVE
- 250 g frozen baby beans (8.8oz)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 190ºC (375ºF) fan bake.
PREPARE RICE
Rinse rice and leave to soak while you prepare the other ingredients. Place stock and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Finely dice onion and zest lemon. Drain rice and place in an oven-safe casserole dish. Add hot stock mixture, onion, lemon zest, turmeric and salt. Stir well to combine. Place lid on (or cover with foil) and bake for 40 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender (you may want to check it at 30-35 minutes).
MAKE CURRY
Meanwhile, season fish all over with salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan on medium-high. Add almonds and cook for a couple of minutes, until toasted. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add oil to pan, then fish. Cook for a couple of minutes each side, until browned. Remove onto a plate and add simmer sauce to pan. Simmer gently for a few minutes, then stir in yoghurt. Add fish back to pan - if it hasn’t already broken up, break into smaller pieces (I used red cod which seemed to break up considerably). Reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally, until rice is ready. Before serving, season with salt and pepper to taste.
COOK BEANS
Microwave beans for 2-3 minutes, until hot.
SERVE
Fluff rice with a fork. Cut butter into pieces and stir into rice with spinach, until spinach has wilted. Season to taste. Divide rice between warmed serving bowls and top with tikka masala and beans. Finish with a sprinkle of toasted almonds.
Recipe Notes
WINE MATCH: An off-dry Riesling.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Choose gluten-free stock. Ensure tikka masala sauce is gluten-free.
INGREDIENT SWAPS / NOTES: If you can’t find brown basmati rice, use regular basmati rice instead (reduce cooking time to approximately 25 minutes). You can cut the zested lemon into wedges and serve with the curry, if you have no other use for it. Any white fish fillets will be fine - choose your favourite. I used Patak’s Tikka Masala sauce (medium-spice). Fresh beans are good too, if they have them in your local store.
STORING AND REHEATING: Store individual portions in airtight containers and reheat in the microwave. Keep almonds at room temperature and add just before serving.
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