Special Diet Information

Coumadin® (Warfarin)
This recipe is NOT safe for Coumadin (warfarin) users.

Lactose
This recipe is safe for those who are lactose intolerant.

Sodium
This is a low sodium recipe.

GERD / Acid Reflux
This recipe contains GERD triggers and those with GERD may wish to avoid it.

Gluten Sensitivity
This recipe is safe for those who are sensitive to gluten.

"There's no such thing as 'a curry.' There's six kazillion different kinds of curry. When someone asks how to make chicken curry, I have to ask 'Which one?" -Aarti Sequeira

The refrigerator light goes on...

In England they now eat more curry than any other single food. What we think of in the U.S. as curry is not really what it is – primarily because most Americans grew up thinking of curry is what happens when you use the somewhat generic yellow curry powder that has been available in most grocery stores for decades.

The term, however, simply refers to a spiced dish – generally from the Indian sub-continent – but this extends to East Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. The dictionary defines it as "a dish of meat, vegetables, etc., cooked in an Indian-style sauce of strong spices and turmeric and typically served with rice." This is also a fairly Western view of what a curry is. Yes, the spices are strong, and generally there is a sauce along with "meat, vegetables, etc.," but the spices don't always have to include turmeric and the flavors are not always what we Westerners think of as Indian. Even within India there are a multitude of varieties based on regional flavors and recipes.

This recipe is in the style of Goa, a state that stretches along the Arabian Sea in southwestern India. The flavors are much different than the stereotypical "curry," and many of their dishes use seafood as you might expect. Even so, there are dozens of variations on this sauce and there are basic spices found in most recipes claiming to be a Goan curry. This recipe is meant to be as close to the most common as possible and still be both simple and use ingredients that are fairly widely available.

You may not be able to find tamarind paste, for example, and that is OK. The shrimp stock is a great addition and brings a subtle seafood flavor to the sauce, but vegetable stock or even water will work fine.

Toasting the spices first really brings out their flavors and gives the curry a bit of a smoky flavor. Many curries from Goa also include paprika, and a touch of smoked paprika is a great addition to this recipe.

There is a great balance to this dish, with the sweetness of the fish as a counterpoint to the spicy sauce, but you could use almost any protein: chicken, shrimp, lentils, or even roasted eggplant.