by Sandhya Poudel
Fish is a great super food for a healthy heart. Instead of spending thousands of dollars to be healthy, you can help your heart and cardiovascular system by eating fish. It is affordable and will work for anyone trying to be healthy on a budget. It is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids or unsaturated fats that are good for the heart. Fish also reduces the risk of coronary heart disease or a stroke.
Even though fish are good sources of unsaturated fats, you should try to find fish that are high in omega-3 and low in contaminants such as mercury. Wild fish such as salmon, herring, tuna contain higher amount of omega-3 compared to tilapia and catfish.
In this article, I am going to share my recipe for a Nepalese style fish curry.
Nepalese style fish curry is made from fish with various healthy herbs and spices to enhance the flavor and color.
Ingredients required
• Fish of your choice: cleaned and cut horizontally into pieces.
• Cooking oil
• Mustard seeds or poppyseed:1 tbspoon ,crushed roughly
• Tomato:1 large size chopped
• Onion:1 medium size chopped
• Garlic and ginger paste:1 tbspoon
• Turmeric: a pinch
• Salt :to taste (try unprocessed sea salt instead of table salt)
• Ground cumin powder
• Whole cumin seeds:1 teaspoon.
• Paprika:1 teaspoon for color (optional)
• Fresh chopped cilantro for garnishing.
• Water:1 cup
Preparation Steps
1) First, clean and cut the fish horizontally.
2) Take a bowl and add turmeric, cumin powder, mustard seeds, salt, ginger and garlic paste, and paprika. Mix all the ingredients nicely and add fish. Marinate all of the mentioned ingredients and let it stay for 2-3 hours.
3) Heat pan and add oil. Add whole cumin seeds, chopped onions and a small pinch of turmeric. Wait for a little bit and stir fry the onions.
4) Now add the marinated mixture and cook it for 5 minutes. Keep on stirring from time to time.
5) Add chopped tomatoes. Wait till the tomatoes become soft. Since we have added everything in the mixture, it is not necessary to mix anything later.
6) Cook for at least 7 minutes and add 1 cup of water to make gravy. Cover with the lid and cook it for 7-10 minutes.
7) Finally add chopped cilantro to garnish once it is done.
Your simple, delicious and healthy fish curry is ready. Now it can be served with rice or bread.
The main ingredient in this curry is fish which contains omega-3 fatty acid that reduces inflammation, lowers triglycerides, lowers blood pressure, and reduces blood clotting. Moreover, it also helps in boosting immunity, improving memory and enhancing cognitive process in the brain.
Other ingredients and spices used in this recipe have amazing benefits. Turmeric, which is better known for anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and antiseptic properties, is an integral ingredient in Nepalese cuisine. It has also shown positive results in the treatment of Alzheimer’s diseases.
Cumin is an excellent source of iron, and it helps in digestion and has anti-carcinogenic properties. Ginger has been proven to be very effective in alleviating gastrointestinal distress. It also helps in preventing nausea and vomiting and has anti-inflammatory properties. Garlic is a natural wonder drug that is beneficial in lowering blood pressure, cholesterol levels, cold and flu.
The benefit of this dish is that it is very tasty. So you will not have to sacrifice the taste that usually comes with a healthy-looking dish.
(Sandhya Poudel is a graduate student at Springfield College in Massachussets with a major in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention with a concentration in Nutrition as well. She enjoys cooking healthy recipes in her free time.)
Wow! such a nice information about the fish curry recipe. I was waiting for long time for this kind of information.