CURRIED HAKE

- METHOD -

Rub the hake medallions with one tablespoon of the Cape Herb & Spice Cape Malay Curry Spice and squeeze over the juice of one lime. Set aside to marinate. Then, fry the onions over low heat in the vegetable oil until soft but not browned. Add the garlic, ginger, 5 Tbsp of Cape Herb & Spice Cape Malay Curry Spice and fry for a minute. Add the water, coconut milk and tomatoes; curry leaves, jaggery and chillies. Place on low heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.

Next, rinse the hake and pat dry.  Gently submerge hake medallions in curried broth and cook until just done – five minutes is about all it takes. Squeeze the juice of a lime over and you’re ready to serve.

Garnish with coriander and poppadum ribbons (uncooked store-bought poppadums simply sliced into thin strips with a sharp chef’s knife and briefly deep fried until crisp) and grate over the zest of a lime. Serve with basmati rice, extra lime wedges and sliced green chillies for the truly adventurous.

(Cook’s note: If you want duo-coloured basmati rice like ours, cook half the basmati in the normal way and the other half with a teaspoon of turmeric added to the pot. Once the rice is cooked, simply stir the yellow and white rice together! This is a bit more effort, but oh so pretty. If you’re going to go to the trouble, why not cook a bit more, seal portions in ziplock bags and pop them in the freezer.)

Recipe concept & photography by Lizet Hartley.

Lizet Hartley is a freelance stills and reel food stylist, food photographer and recipe developer. In her spare time she – rather predictably – cooks. Get more of her recipes on her blog at http://www.melkkos-merlot.co.za