Fish Curry Rice

**Marinate the fish:** Clean fish steaks and marinate with turmeric and salt for 15 minutes.

**Soak the kokum:** Soak dried kokum in 100 ml warm water for 15 minutes. Squeeze and strain to extract the souring liquid.

**Make the Goan masala paste:** Dry roast coriander seeds and cumin seeds briefly. Grind together with grated coconut, Kashmiri chillies, Bedgi chillies, garlic, ginger, and turmeric into a very smooth paste, adding water as needed. This coconut-chilli paste is the heart of Goan fish curry.

**Cook the masala:** Heat coconut oil in a clay pot or heavy pan. Add sliced onions and cook until translucent. Add the ground coconut-chilli paste and cook on medium heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the oil separates and the paste is fragrant.

**Add tomatoes:** Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until soft.

**Add water and kokum:** Pour in water and the kokum extract. Bring to a gentle boil. Taste and adjust salt — the curry should be tangy from the kokum.

**Add the fish:** Gently add the marinated fish steaks to the simmering curry. Cook on medium-low heat for 10–12 minutes until the fish is cooked through.

**Cook the rice:** Rinse Goan parboiled rice and cook in plenty of boiling salted water until tender. Drain.

**Serve together:** Serve the fish curry in a bowl alongside a mound of steamed rice. In Goa, fish curry rice is eaten by mixing the curry into the rice.