Masala machli with tomato, onion and chilli chutney

Serves 4 or more as part of a main meal 700g halibut, cod or haddock 3 tbsps lemon juice 2 tbsps plain flour 4 tbsps cornflour 1 tbsp ground turmeric 3 tbsps garam masala 2 tbsps ajwain seeds 2 tbsps tandoori masala 2 tsps chilli powder 1 tsp crushed chilli flakes ½ tsp salt rapeseed oil, for frying tomato, onion and chilli chutney: 8 (more or less) dried Kashmiri chillies 2 tbsps rapeseed oil 1 tsp white split urad dal lentils 1 small onion, finely chopped 8 garlic cloves 250g canned chopped tomatoes or chopped fresh tomatoes salt

• Marinate the fish in the lemon juice in a non-metallic bowl for no more than 10 minutes. While the fish is marinating, mix the flours, dried spices and salt together in a large bowl.

• Turn the marinated fish pieces in the flour mixture to coat, then shake off any excess. There needs to be only a thin dusting of the flour mixture on the fish.

• Heat about 2.5cm depth of rapeseed oil in a large frying pan. Place the fish in the oil and cook for about 2 minutes. Then, flip the fish over and cook for another minute on the other side, or until just cooked through.

• To make the chutney: soak the chillies in water for about 30 minutes. Remove the chillies from the water and tear them in half. Remove the seeds if you don’t want your chutney to be really spicy.

• In a frying pan, temper the urad dal in the rapeseed oil over a medium-high heat for about 30 seconds, then add the chopped onion. When the onion becomes soft and translucent, add the garlic cloves and fry for a further 2 minutes, or until the cloves are just beginning to turn light brown.

• Transfer all of this to a spice grinder with the tomatoes and grind until smooth. Season with salt to taste, and serve.

Taken from The Curry Guy Easy by Dan Toombs, published by Quadrille at £12.99. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £11.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit www.theweek.co.uk/bookshop.