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Week 101:

RECIPE OF THE WEEK FROM THE STAFF AT HIGHFIELD HALL & GARDENS, LISA WALKER

My family loves Indian food and fish, but when it comes to cooking Indian fish recipes I tend to stick with one favorite, Bengali salmon. However, when I saw this recipe for Kerala style fish from Feasting at Home, I knew I wanted to try it and I am glad I did! This recipe is really easy and it’s good with most white fish. I used cod, and after making it, I can tell it would also be a great paste to use on grilled boneless chicken breast or thighs or tofu.

The recipe calls for curry leaves which are very different from curry powder (the recipe does call for ½ teaspoon of curry powder too). Curry leaves are native to India and are glossy, pointy, almond-shaped pinnate leaves with a complex citrus flavor often described as reminiscent of lemongrass with a bitter-ish taste yet a sweet pungent aroma. They aren’t readily found in most supermarkets, especially on the Cape, but you can order them on Amazon and this is the brand that is recommended by Bon Appetit

If you find yourself like me, wanting to make a dish that calls for curry leaves and no curry leaves on hand, a really good substitute is lime zest. To be honest, I have made many recipes that called for curry leaves and used lime zest instead and the recipes were still delicious! Would they be even better with curry leaves? They might be, but until I remember to order my supply from Amazon I will never know!  If any of you make this recipe and do use curry leaves I would love to hear how it turned out!