Monkfish curry with coconut and mint, with lemon and blackcardamom basmati rice

Serves 4

A very striking, fresh-tasting and aromatic fish curry for a summer dinner – it is important to add the sauce just before serving, so it retains its lovely greenness.

For the marinated fish

— 1 tsp ground turmeric

— 1 tbsp grated root ginger — 2 garlic cloves,

finely chopped

— juice of 1 lime

— 500g boneless trimmed monkfish tail, cut into large bite-sized pieces

— 2 tbsp groundnut oil

For the sauce

— 50g fresh mint leaves — 80g fresh coriander

— 2 small shallots, peeled

and halved

— 3 small green chillies,

halved and deseeded

— 2 garlic cloves

— 1 tsp freshly ground

black pepper

— ½ tsp ground cinnamon — pinch of ground cloves — 1 tsp ground cumin — 150ml full-fat coconut milk — 2 tbsp maple syrup or

1 tbsp soft brown sugar — juice of 2 limes For the rice

— 180g basmati rice — 50g mung beans

(or yellow split peas) — 2 black cardamom pods — ½ lemon

Mix together the turmeric, ginger, garlic and lime juice and add the monkfish, then thoroughly coat. Leave for 20 minutes.

Put all the sauce ingredients – apart from the lime juice – into a blender and process until smooth. Set aside.

Put the rice and mung beans into a pan with 400ml water and add the cardamom, a pinch of salt and the lemon half. Bring to the boil, then simmer uncovered for five minutes. Cover the pan with a lid, simmer for another five minutes, then turn the heat off. Leave the lid on for another five minutes before serving.

Heat the groundnut oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat, then fry the monkfish pieces briefly, turning them so they brown but are still raw inside. Add the sauce and simmer until the fish is firm and cooked through.

Just before serving the curry with the rice, stir in the lime juice.