WOW! Coconut Fish Curry

coconut fish curry pressure cooker recipe
Spicy, coconutty and filling… this curry can be served by itself as a rich little fish stew or on a fluffy pillow of Basmati rice. The trickiest part of this dish is obtaining all of the ingredients.  Since not everyone has access to these specialty ingredients I have suggested substitutions where appropriate.

Pressure Cooked Coconut Fish Curry

Pressure Cooker Accessories Pr. Cook Time Pr. Level Open
5 L or larger None 5 min. Low (1) Normal

1-1.5 lb or 500-750 g Fish steaks or fillets, rinsed and cut into bite-size pieces (fresh or frozen and thawed)
1 Tomato, chopped (or a heaping cup of cherry tomatoes)
2 Green Chiles, sliced into strips
2 Medium onions, sliced into strips
2 Garlic cloves, squeezed
1 Tbsp. freshly grated Ginger, or 1/8 tsp. Ginger Powder
6 Curry leaves, or Bay Laurel Leaves, or Kaffir Lime Leaves, or Basil

1 Tbsp. ground Coriander
2 tsp. ground Cumin
1/2 tsp. ground Turmeric
1 tsp. Chili Powder , or 1 tsp. of Hot Pepper Flakes
1/2 tsp. Ground Fenugreek (Methi)
OR
3 Tbsp. of Curry Powder mix. (instead of the 5 spices noted above)

2 cups or 500 ml un-sweetened Coconut Milk

Salt to taste (I used about 2 tsp.)
Lemon juice to taste (I used the juice from 1/2 lemon)


In the preheated pressure cooker on medium-low heat without the lid, add a swirl of oil and then drop in the curry leaves and lightly fry them until golden around the edges (about 1 minute).  Then add the onion, garlic and ginger and sautee until the onion is soft.  Add all of the ground spices: Coriander, Cumin, Tumeric, Chili Powder and Fenugreek and sautee them together with the onions until they have released their aroma (about 2 minutes).

De-glaze with the coconut milk making sure to un-stick anything from the  bottom and incorporate it in the sauce.  Add the Green Chiles, Tomatoes and fish pieces.  Stir to coat the fish well with the mixture.

Set the pressure level to LOW. Turn the heat up high and when the pan reaches pressure, lower the heat and count 5 minutes cooking time at LOW pressure (or 2-3 at HIGH). When time is up, release pressure using the Normal method – release vapor through the valve.

Add salt to taste and spritz with lemon juice just before serving.

Serves 4-6


Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min