Hyderabadi Shahi Macchi Kurma

Hyderabadi style Shahi Macchi Kurma is a deliciously rich and creamy fish curry. Succulent cubes of fish are simmered in a gravy that’s resplendent with spices, aromatics, saffron and almonds. A great choice for special occasions!

Melbourne seems to have forgotten spring totally; we have jumped straight from the dark, dreary winter to the hot, blistering summer.

I made this fish curry actually a while ago when it was still a bit cold and the cravings for rich, creamy curries were strong. Though not very appropriate for the Australian summer, this Hyderabadi Shahi Macchi Kurma would be the perfect dish for seafood lovers across the world as they embrace autumn.

Kurma/Korma/Qormah is a popular dish, even among the occasional curry eater. With roots in Middle Eastern cooking, today korma is more famous globally as an Indian curry. Kormas are famous in several parts of India, especially regions influenced by the Mughal cuisine.

A shahi kurma is a more indulgent version of the regular kurma with generous use of cream or yoghurt, nuts and saffron. The texture of the curry or gravy is smooth and creamy packed with flavour. Though meat is used mostly to prepare a korma, the people of Hyderabad (Southern India) decided to indulge their love of seafood by creating this ‘Shahi Macchi Kurma’ which translates as fish kurma.

The only twist to this recipe is that I have used dried Byadagi chillies (often sold as Kashmiri chilli in stores) instead of other varieties as these chillies add a deeper red colour but keeps the heat levels moderate. Of course, you can add more chillies if you like it hot!

Any kind of seafood (fish varieties with a firm flesh, tiger prawns and lobsters) can be used for this deliciously creamy and flavourful kurma. And it has to be paired with a steaming bowl of basmati rice; nothing else does this dish justice.

Print Recipe

Hyderabadi Shahi Macchi Kurma

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Hyderabadi, Indian

Author: Dhanya Samuel

Ingredients

• 500 gm boneless fish cut into medium sized pieces (I used Mahi Mahi for this recipe)
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp plain thick curd/yoghurt; beaten well
• Saffron; a few strands soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped
• 2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• Salt to season
• Juice of 1 lemon

Spice paste:

• 6 Byadagi/Kashmiri red chillies soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
• 1 tsp poppy seeds soaked in a few tbsps of water for 30 minutes
• 5 shallots/small onion
• ½ inch ginger
• 4 medium garlic cloves
• 2 tsp roasted coriander seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp garam masala
• 10 blanched almonds; skin removed

Instructions

• Method:
• Marinate the fish pieces with salt and turmeric powder; keep aside for 15 minutes.
• Blend all the ingredients for the spice paste; add a few drops of water if necessary.
• Heat ghee and oil in a wide pan; shallow fry the fish pieces till half done. Keep aside.
• In the same pan, add the spice paste and sauté on low heat. Sauté till the spice paste browns lightly and gets aromatic. Do not hurry up this step as this lends the main flavour to the dish. Sauté for around 15 minutes on low heat.
• Add the beaten yoghurt and mix in well. Next, add the saffron milk and mix thoroughly.
• Add enough water to make a thick gravy. Bring to boil and then add the fish pieces.
• Simmer gently for about 10 minutes (add more water if too thick).
• Remove from heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve warm with steamed basmati rice.