Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Malwani Hirwa Tisrya Masala
Malwani Hirwa Tisrya Masala (Clams Cooked in Coriander and Coconut)

Malwani Hirwa Tisrya Masala

Clams Cooked in Coriander and Coconut
Non-vegetarian

A Malwani clam curry made with a bright green coconut-coriander paste, tangy tamarind and warm ground spices. The gravy is thick and aromatic, with fresh herbal heat from green chillies clinging to the clams.

Ground spices for the sauce

4.6 gStirred into the coconut paste in the main pan (step 9)
01
0.8 g¼ teaspoon
spice
03
1.3 g½ teaspoon
spice blend
Keep the three ground spices together; add them all when the coconut paste goes into the pan.

Everything else

02
27 g2 tablespoons
oil/fat
03
Red onion · Pyazfinely chopped
150 g1 onion
vegetable
04
Garlic · Lehsunfinely chopped
12 g4 cloves
aromatic
05
Fresh ginger · Adrakfinely chopped
10 g2½ cm
aromatic
06
12 g2 teaspoons
souring agent
07
to taste
salt
08
3 g2 tablespoons
herb
09
27 g2 tablespoons
oil/fat
10
Red onion · Pyazthinly sliced
300 g2 onions
vegetable
11
Coconut · Nariyalfreshly grated
150 g
fruit
12
50 g
fruit
14
3 g2 chillies
vegetable

Method

  1. Put 1600 g clam and 400 ml warm water in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 3–4 minutes, until the shells open. Throw away any clam still shut after 5 minutes.
  2. Pour the cooking liquid through a fine sieve or muslin to remove grit. Keep 200 ml of the strained liquid.
  3. For the coconut paste, heat 27 g vegetable oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Add 300 g red onion, thinly sliced, and fry for 8–10 minutes, until soft and light brown.
  4. Add 150 g freshly grated coconut and 50 g desiccated coconut. Fry for 4–5 minutes, until the mixture looks drier and turns pale brown.
  5. Add 60 g coriander leaves and stems and 4 g green bird’s eye chilli. Fry for 2 minutes, then take off the heat and let cool a little.
  6. Blend the cooled coconut mixture with 250 ml water to a thick paste. Set aside.
  7. Heat 27 g vegetable oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add 150 g red onion, finely chopped, and fry for 6 minutes, until beginning to brown.
  8. Add 12 g garlic, finely chopped, and 10 g fresh ginger, finely chopped. Stir for 20 seconds, keeping the mixture moving.
  9. Add the coconut paste and the ground spices for the sauce: 0.8 g ground turmeric, 2.5 g Kashmiri chilli powder or mild paprika and 1.3 g garam masala. Fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring and scraping the pan.
  10. Stir in 12 g tamarind paste, the 200 ml reserved clam liquid and salt to taste. Simmer over low heat for 1 minute; the gravy should be thick enough to cling to the clams.
  11. Add the opened clams and stir so the masala covers them. Cover and simmer over low heat for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  12. Scatter over 3 g coriander leaves, finely chopped, and serve warm.

Don't have something?

Mussel or clam
  • Prawn

    Use the same weight, shelled; add in the last 2-3 minutes until pink. Texture is firmer and less briny.

  • Small prawn

    Use the same weight; they cook very quickly, so add at the end and do not simmer long.

  • Firm white fish fillet

    Use the same weight, cut into chunks; add 3-4 minutes before serving. Less briny, so taste and add salt.

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.

Red onion
  • Onion

    Use the same weight; cook a little longer. Milder and less sweet when raw.

  • Shallot

    Use the same weight; sweeter and softer, so reduce cooking time slightly.

  • Spring onion

    Use only the white parts, weight for weight, for raw or quick-cooked dishes; green parts are too grassy for long cooking.

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.

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.

Kashmiri chilli powder or mild paprika
  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use the same weight; this is the first half of the book's option and gives the best red colour with mild heat.

  • Mild paprika

    Use the same weight; add a pinch of cayenne pepper for warmth. Slightly less colour.

  • Paprika

    Use the same weight and add cayenne pepper to taste; works but is less aromatic.

Garam masala
  • Ground cumin

    Use 50% of the weight mixed with equal parts ground coriander and a pinch of ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground green cardamom. Sprinkle near the end for a warming finish.

  • Lentil stew spice mix

    Use 75% of the weight. Simmer briefly in the gravy; imparts roasted warmth and complexity, though it adds a slight tang and earthy lentil undertone.

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.

Coriander leaves
  • Coriander (cilantro) or basil

    Use the same weight, choosing the coriander element if available. If only basil is available, expect a sweeter, more aniseed flavour.

  • Basil leaves

    Use the same weight. Basil is sweeter and more aromatic in a different way; add near the end so it keeps its perfume.

  • Coriander paste

    Use 1.5 times the weight and reduce other liquid slightly; it is less fresh and more concentrated, so taste before adding more.

Coconut
  • Fresh coconut

    Use equal weight freshly grated or diced. Delivers the identical sweet, milky taste and juicy texture.

  • Desiccated coconut

    Use 60% of the weight and soak in hot water or milk for 15 minutes before using. The finished dish will be slightly sweeter and less fibrous.

  • Dried coconut

    Finely grate and use 50% of the weight, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes. Yields a firmer chew and a denser, oilier coconut aroma.

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.

Similar dishes

Maharashtrian Fish Kalwan
Spiced Fish Curry with Coconut and Tamarind
Maharashtrian Fish Kalwan tastes tangy, creamy and gently spiced, while this dish tastes thicker and more aromatic with fresh herbal heat from green chillies and coriander.
  • Same: Maharashtrian Fish Kalwan shares with this dish a coconut-and-tamarind base, vegetable oil, ginger, garlic, green bird’s eye chilli, coriander, turmeric and Kashmiri chilli powder.
  • Different: Maharashtrian Fish Kalwan uses firm white fish, coconut milk, malt vinegar, curry leaves, black peppercorn and cumin seed, while this dish uses clams, a large amount of red onion, fresh coriander-coconut paste, garam masala and no coconut milk, vinegar, curry leaves, peppercorn or cumin.
Red Chilli Coconut Chutney
It tastes tangy, rich and gently spicy, while this dish is a thick, herbal, green coconut-coriander clam curry with fresh chilli heat.
  • Same: Red Chilli Coconut Chutney shares coconut, tamarind paste, ginger, garlic, Kashmiri chilli powder and vegetable oil with this dish.
  • Different: It has no clams, no red onion gravy, no coriander-green-chilli paste, no turmeric or garam masala, and it is a chutney with a mustard-seed and curry-leaf tadka rather than a cooked clam curry.
Maharashtrian Green Pea Usal
Green Pea, Coriander and Coconut Curry
It tastes fresh, softly sweet and mildly spicy with a creamy coconut body, while this dish is tangy from tamarind and has herbal green-chilli heat on clams.
  • Same: Maharashtrian Green Pea Usal shares vegetable oil, red onion, garlic, coriander leaves, coconut and Kashmiri chilli powder with this dish.
  • Different: It lacks clams, tamarind, turmeric and garam masala, and instead uses green peas, asafoetida, cumin seed, lime and jaggery.
Malwani Chicken Masala
Malwani Chicken Masala tastes creamy from coconut with lemon tang and gentle spice, while this dish tastes more tamarind-sour with bright herbal coriander and green chilli heat.
  • Same: Malwani Chicken Masala shares vegetable oil, red onion, garlic, ginger, coconut, green bird’s eye chilli and coriander leaves with this dish, and both are coconut-based Malwani curries.
  • Different: Malwani Chicken Masala uses chicken, lemon juice, asafoetida and Malwani masala, while this dish uses clams, tamarind paste, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder and garam masala.