Luke Hines’ Fiery fish curry and cauliflower rice

A home-cooked curry tops my list of favourite meals. I use barramundi in this recipe, but any firm white fish works well.

Fiery fish curry & cauliflower rice. Picture: Mark Roper

A home-cooked curry tops my list of favourite meals. I use barramundi in this recipe, but any firm white fish works well.

-

Fish curry and cauliflower rice

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 red onion, roughly chopped
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked, stems finely chopped
400ml can coconut cream
500ml (2 cups) chicken or fish stock
1 head broccoli, broken into florets
4 x 150g firm white fish fillets, skin and bones removed

-

Curry paste

3 tablespoons desiccated coconut
5cm piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 long red chilli, chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
½ teaspoon sea salt

-

Cauliflower rice

1 head of cauliflower, florets and stalk roughly chopped
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Sea salt

-

To serve

Handful coriander leaves, torn
1 long red chilli, finely sliced
1 lime, sliced into wedges

-

To make the curry paste, place all the ingredients in a small food processor and blitz to form a paste (if it’s too thick, add a dash of boiling water to loosen it). Set aside.

For the cauliflower rice, place chopped cauliflower in a food processor and pulse into tiny rice-like pieces (this usually takes six to eight pulses). Melt coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, add cauliflower and saute for 4-6 minutes, until softened. Season to taste with salt and keep warm.

For the curry, melt coconut oil in a large, deep frying pan or saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add onion and coriander stems (you’ll use the leaves for serving) and saute for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant, then add curry paste and fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring, until aromatic. Pour over coconut cream and stock and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low; simmer for 5 minutes to thicken and reduce slightly.

Add broccoli florets to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, then lower the fish pieces into the curry and cook for 6-8 minutes or until the fish is just cooked. Serve with warm cauliflower rice, and scattered with coriander leaves, chilli and a squeeze of lime juice. Serves 4

Luke Hines is an Australian cook, trainer and author. Edited extract from his fifth solo cookbook The Fast Low-Carb Kickstart Plan (Plum, $26.99). Photography: Mark Roper