Indian · Authentic-ish Indian
Fish Curry
305 kcal a serving, against 453 for the traditional version. That is 148 kcal off, or 33%, with 38.9g of protein. Serves 4. 45 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Thick fillets of white fish, heavily shallow-fried in pools of oil until deeply crusted, then simmered in a fierce, pungent sauce built from ground mustard seeds, green chillies and plenty of extra fat.
What changed, and what each change costs
100g of sunflower oil down to 15g
That massive volume of oil in the traditional fry adds nothing but empty calories. I use just enough oil to sear the fish and fry the aromatics. The mustard seeds already have enough natural fat to carry the sauce.
What it costs you. You'll completely lose that deeply crisp, oil-saturated crust on the exterior of the fish. The texture of the sea bass here is much softer and more delicate.
600g of sea bass up to 800g
Stripping out all that shallow-frying fat leaves a big hole in the meal. Packing the frying pan with extra fish fills that gap with highly satisfying lean meat to keep you full.
What it costs you. A premium cut of fish and buying extra will absolutely hit your wallet harder, then. Not a cheap dinner, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
150g of fresh tomatoes up to 250g
I need a bit more physical body in the sauce to replace the lost oil. The extra tomatoes break down in the pan, creating a thick, rich base that mellows the fierce mustard bite slightly.
What it costs you. The curry takes on a sweeter, fruitier tone than a hardcore traditional mustard sauce, which is usually much sharper.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 453 | 305 |
| Protein | 30.4g | 38.9g |
| Fat | 32.3g | 11.4g |
| Saturated fat | 3.6g | 1.6g |
| Carbohydrate | 10.8g | 11g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 6.7g | 12.7g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Indian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. fish, mustard.
The method is in the book
This is a fiercely savoury curry that refuses to be boring. I stripped out the heavy shallow frying, but kept the intense mustard and chilli punch that makes the dish famous. You'll trade the crisp crust for a softer piece of fish, but you gain a massive portion of lean meat in a brilliantly vibrant sauce. It's an aggressive, beautiful dinner that won't ruin your sleep.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Indian, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback