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Recipe-1 › Curries of the world › Zanzibar fish curry

Zanzibar, Tanzania

Zanzibar fish curry

Fish in coconut milk with tamarind and the island’s own spices.

Zanzibar fish curry
Same steps, different flavour base Medium

Too hot for you? Use half the chilli (powder, paste or fresh chillies) and leave out the green chillies.

New here? How this page works

Recipe-1 is one simple curry recipe in nine steps: fry onions and green chillies, add your vegetables or meat, add chilli powder and turmeric, then water and salt, and boil. With small changes the same nine steps make curries from all over the world.

This page takes those nine steps and shows what to change to make Zanzibar fish curry. You don’t need to read anything else first: every base step is written out below. The changes are worked out on paper from what is typical for this dish; not yet kitchen-tested. Cooked it? Tell others how it went.

Green: the base recipe step (crossed out = do not use it for this dish)Red: what to do instead for Zanzibar fish curry

See the full base recipe (with timers and tips) · See all curries on the world map

You’ll need

How many people?4

The amounts change with the number of people; cooking times stay about the same (use a bigger pot for more). Taste as you go: you can always add more chilli or salt, but you cannot take it out.

Main ingredient: 600 g Firm white fish such as kingfish, in steaks.

From the base recipe

  • 2 Onions
  • 1–2 Green chillies
  • 2 tbsp Cooking oil
  • ½ tsp Red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp Turmeric
  • 1 tsp · not used Salt and water
  • Ginger garlic paste not used
  • Cloves, cardamom and cinnamon not used
  • Garam masala (optional) not used

Add for Zanzibar fish curry

  • 400 ml Coconut milk
  • 2 Tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp Tamarind or lime
  • 1 tsp · 1 tsp · 3 Cumin, coriander and cardamom
  • 4 · 2 cm Garlic and ginger

Leave out

  • Garam masala

The nine steps, with the changes

Where a step has a red line, do the red line and not the crossed-out green base step. Steps with only green are done just as in the base recipe.

  1. Base step: do not useCut onions and chillies.

    Zanzibar fish curry: do thisChop the onions and one or two chillies.

  2. Base step: do not useFry in some oil for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.

    Zanzibar fish curry: do thisFry until soft, then add garlic and ginger.

  3. Base step: do not useCut the vegetable(s) of your choice.

    Zanzibar fish curry: do thisUse the fish, rubbed with lime and salt.

  4. Base step: do not useAdd them and fry for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.

    Zanzibar fish curry: do thisAdd the tomatoes and cook down.

  5. Base step: do not useAdd red chilli powder and turmeric.

    Zanzibar fish curry: do thisAdd turmeric, a little chilli, cumin, coriander and crushed cardamom.

  6. Keep frying until just before they start browning.

  7. Base step: do not useAdd some water.

    Zanzibar fish curry: do thisAdd coconut milk instead of water.

  8. Add salt.

  9. Base step: do not useBoil until the gravy is as thick as you like.

    Zanzibar fish curry: do thisSimmer the sauce 5 minutes, add the fish and cook gently 8–10 minutes. Finish with tamarind or lime.

Serve: With rice or chapati.

For meat and seafood, make sure it is cooked through: chicken until no pink remains inside; mutton, goat and beef need long, slow cooking.

← Cape Malay chicken curryAll curries on the mapMauritian chicken curry (kari poul) →

Food marks, as on packaged food in India: vegetarian · non-vegetarian (meat, fish or egg). Dishes with both marks can be made either way.

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