Easy Fish Head Curry - Malaysian Style

Fish head curry lovers, rejoice! Here’s an easy Malaysian-style fish head curry recipe. Why easy, you ask? Because there’s no grinding or pounding involved—just store-bought spice powders for the curry base.

This isn’t your ordinary fish head curry either. For a unique tang, I’ve used belimbing buluh, a small variety of starfruit. Can’t find belimbing buluh? No worries - just substitute it with a mix of tomatoes and tamarind juice (STEAMED FISH - THAI STYLE). 

While the ingredient list may seem a bit extensive, everything is easily available at grocery stores, markets, or hypermarkets.

 

This easy fish head curry packs all the flavors everyone love - spiciness, tanginess, creaminess, and the fragrant aroma of spices in s thick curry, with tender fish head pieces (EASY SOUTH INDIAN FISH CURRIES). 

Ingredients

1 tenggiri/mackerel fish head (about 700g) - cleaned and chopped into large pieces

10 belimbing buluh

1 tsp turmeric/kunyit powder

1 tbsp ginger paste

1/2 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp onion paste

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

2-3 sprigs curry leaves (shredded/sliced)

1/2 cup coconut milk (optional)

4 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

 

For the Curry Paste (mix with some water for a thick paste)

1 tbsp plain chilli powder

1 tsp white pepper powder

1/2 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp fennel powder

Method

Rub the fish with turmeric powder and set aside.

Heat oil and sauté ginger, garlic, and onion paste.

Add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and curry leaves, and let them splatter.

Add curry paste and fry till the oil separates.

Pour in  2 cups of water and stir.

Gently drop in fish head and belimbing.

Season with salt.

Once the fish is cooked, pour in coconut milk.

Gently stir and simmer for another 1 or 2 min, before switching off the heat.

(Note: If using tomatoes, add them along with the curry paste. Be sure to taste the curry before adding tamarind juice).