Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Goan Fish Caldine
Goan Fish Caldine (Coconut Fish Curry with Green Chilli, Cumin and Tamarind)

Goan Fish Caldine

Coconut Fish Curry with Green Chilli, Cumin and Tamarind
Non-vegetarianOrigin Goa

A soft Goan coconut fish curry, gently sour from tamarind and vinegar, warm with cumin and pepper, and lifted by green chilli and coriander.

Turmeric marinade

1.5 gMixed with the vinegar and salt to marinate the fish (step 1)
01
1.5 g½ teaspoon
spice
Stir it through the fish with the vinegar and salt.

Ground spice mix for the sauce

8 gGround and set aside before cooking, then added to the pan (steps 2 and 7)
01
2.1 g1 teaspoon
spice
02
0.8–0.9 g15–18 peppercorns
spice
03
5 g1 tablespoon
spice
Grind to a fine powder.

Everything else

01
600 g
fish
02
15 g1 tablespoon
souring agent
03
~0.3 g1 pinch
salt
04
27 g2 tablespoons
oil/fat
05
Onion · Pyazfinely chopped
80 g
vegetable
06
Tomato · Tamatarfinely chopped
100 g
vegetable
07
Garlic · Lehsuncrushed to a paste
9 g3 cloves
aromatic
08
Fresh ginger · Adrakground to a paste
10 g2½ cm
aromatic
10
80 g80 ml
liquid
11
18 g1 tablespoon
souring agent
12
4.5 g3 chillies
vegetable
13
~0.3 g1 pinch
sweetener
14
1 g1 tablespoon
herb

Method

  1. Put 600 g cod fillet in a bowl and add the turmeric marinade (1.5 g ground turmeric), 15 g Goan vinegar and 0.3 g salt; mix and leave for 15–20 minutes.
  2. Grind 2.1 g cumin seed, 0.8–0.9 g black peppercorn and 5.1 g coriander seeds to a fine powder; set aside the ground spice mix for the sauce.
  3. Heat 27 g vegetable oil in a thick-bottomed pan over medium heat.
  4. Add 80 g onion, finely chopped, and cook for 5–7 minutes until softened and patched with gold.
  5. Add 100 g tomato, finely chopped, and cook for 5 minutes until it collapses.
  6. Add 9 g garlic, crushed to a paste, and 10 g fresh ginger root, ground to a paste, and cook for 1 minute.
  7. Add the masala (ground spice mix for the sauce), stir well and fry for 2 minutes.
  8. Add the marinated fish and turn it through the pan for 20–30 seconds so it picks up the sauce.
  9. Pour in 406 g coconut milk and 79.5 g water, then stir in 18 g tamarind paste.
  10. Cover and keep at a low simmer for 6–8 minutes, checking that the fish is just cooked.
  11. Add 6 g green bird’s eye chilli, split lengthways, 0.3 g granulated sugar and 1 g coriander leaf, chopped; taste and add salt if needed.

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Cod fillet
  • Cod

    Use the same weight and cut into fillet-sized pieces. Cooking time depends on thickness.

  • Haddock

    Use the same weight. Firmer and stronger; if smoked, reduce added salt.

  • Hake fillet

    Use the same weight. Softer, so cook gently and 1–2 minutes less.

Ground turmeric
  • Ground ginger

    Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.

  • Saffron

    Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Coconut vinegar
  • White wine vinegar

    Use the same weight; it is sharper and more neutral, so taste before adding more.

  • Malt vinegar

    Use the same weight; darker and maltier, fine in chutneys but not in delicate dishes.

  • Lime juice

    Use the same weight; it gives citric rather than vinegary sourness, so add salt a little at a time.

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Onion
  • Shallot

    Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.

  • Cabbage

    Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Tomato
  • Tomato purée

    Use 40% to 50% of the fresh tomato weight mixed with a splash of water. Imparts a deeper red colour, thicker sauce, and slightly sweeter cooked flavour.

  • Plain yogurt

    Use 60% of the weight, whisked smooth and added on low heat. Provides rich body and sourness, though the gravy becomes paler and creamier.

Garlic
  • Garlic paste

    Use equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.

  • Shallot

    Use 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

Fresh ginger
  • Ginger paste

    Use equal weight. Sauté in hot fat until the raw allium smell disappears; slightly wetter, but provides identical warmth and pungency.

  • Ground ginger

    Use 20% to 25% of the weight (1 g for every 4 to 5 g fresh). Stir into the gravy; adds peppery heat and warmth, though it misses the crisp, zesty kick of raw root.

Coconut milk
  • Single cream

    Use equal weight; simmer gently over low heat to prevent curdling. Imparts a comparable rich texture, though it adds dairy richness without any coconut fragrance.

  • Cashew paste

    Whisk 1 part cashew paste with 2 parts water to match the consistency, then use equal weight. Provides a thick, velvety body without coconut flavour.

  • Whole milk

    Use equal weight, but reduce other cooking liquids by 20% to compensate for the lower viscosity. The curry will be lighter and lack sweetness.

Water
  • Stock

    Use the same weight in savoury dishes; it adds body, so adjust salt.

  • Milk

    Use the same weight only in doughs or creamy dishes; it makes the result richer.

  • Coconut water

    Use the same weight in curries or rice; it adds sweetness and a faint coconut taste.

Tamarind paste
  • Tamarind pulp

    Use 120–150% of the weight and strain; pulp is less concentrated, so simmer a little longer to thicken.

  • Tamarind extract

    Use 150–200% of the weight and reduce gently; extract is already diluted.

  • Lime juice

    Use 60–70% of the weight with a pinch of jaggery; sharper, so add near the end off the heat.

Green bird's eye chilli
  • Bird's eye green chilli

    Use the same weight; heat and flavour are very close.

  • Green chilli

    Use 1.5 to 2 times the weight; deseed for less heat. Larger chillies are more watery.

  • Fresh green chilli

    Use 1.5 to 2 times the weight; chop finely and adjust heat by tasting.

Granulated sugar
  • Jaggery

    Use equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Coriander leaf
  • Coriander

    Use equal weight finely chopped; this is the exact same fresh herb.

  • Mint

    Use half the weight finely chopped; provides vibrant green freshness, though the flavour profile becomes noticeably cooler and sharper.

Cumin seed
  • Ground cumin

    Use 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.

  • Black cumin seeds

    Use equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Black peppercorn
  • Coarsely ground black pepper

    Use 75% of the weight. Add midway through simmering; spreads heat evenly through the dish instead of delivering isolated bursts.

  • Ground black pepper

    Use 50% of the weight. Stir in near the end of cooking; significantly darkens light gravies and provides an immediate, sharp bite.

Coriander seeds
  • Ground coriander

    Use 75% of the weight; stir in along with wet masala or tomato purée rather than frying in hot oil, as the fine powder burns instantly.

  • Cumin seed

    Use 50% of the weight for tempering in hot oil. Lacks the floral, sweet citrus flavour of coriander, introducing warm, pungent earthiness instead.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 50% of the weight in tempering; provides pleasant aromatic sweetness, though noticeably aniseedy rather than citrusy.

Similar dishes

Goan Fish Curry (I)
Goan Fish Curry (I) tastes hotter from dried red and more green chilli, tart from tamarind and lemon, and more textured with fresh coconut and okra than this softer coconut-milk curry with cumin-pepper warmth and tamarind-vinegar sourness.
  • Same: Goan Fish Curry (I) shares white fish, vegetable oil, onion, tomato, green chilli, turmeric, coriander seeds, cumin, tamarind and coriander leaf with this dish.
  • Different: Goan Fish Curry (I) adds okra, dried red chilli, fresh coconut and lemon juice, and it lacks this dish’s coconut milk, ginger, Goan vinegar, black peppercorn and sugar, using tamarind extract instead of tamarind paste.
Goan Prawn Caldinho
It is lightly sweet, aromatic and not very hot with tender prawns, while this dish is a soft fish curry gently sour from tamarind and vinegar and warm with cumin and pepper.
  • Same: Goan Prawn Caldinho shares coconut milk, tamarind, Goan vinegar, turmeric, cumin seed, coriander seed, black peppercorn, green bird’s eye chilli, onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, sugar and coriander leaf with this dish.
  • Different: It uses 400 g king prawns instead of 600 g cod, has more onion and tomato, less vegetable oil, no water, and lists salt without a weight.
Maharashtrian Fish Kalwan
Spiced Fish Curry with Coconut and Tamarind
It tastes tangy and creamy from coconut, ginger and garlic with mild chilli, while this dish is softer, more coconut-milk-heavy and warm with cumin and pepper.
  • Same: Maharashtrian Fish Kalwan shares fish, coconut, tamarind, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, green chilli, ginger, garlic and coriander with this dish.
  • Different: It uses firm white fish, 100 g coconut, curry leaves and Kashmiri chilli powder, sours with malt vinegar and tamarind, and lacks this dish's onion, tomato, coriander seeds, water and sugar.
Kerala Meen Mappas
Fish Curry with Coconut, Mustard Seeds and Curry Leaves
It tastes rich and mild-hot with mustard and curry-leaf notes and a tamarind-lime sourness, while this dish is softer and sour from tamarind and vinegar with cumin and pepper warmth.
  • Same: Kerala Meen Mappas shares coconut milk, tamarind, green bird’s eye chilli, onion, garlic, ginger and turmeric with this dish.
  • Different: It uses sea bream instead of cod, plus black mustard seeds, curry leaves, Kashmiri chilli powder and lime juice, and it lacks this dish’s cumin, coriander seeds, black peppercorn, vinegar and fresh coriander.