Page 107 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 10

WHOLENESS

Coconut Sauce

Ingredients
•3 cups coconut milk (you can mix half heavy and half-light)
•4 garlic cloves
•1-2 whole fresh red chillies
•1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
•1 tsp. cumin powder
•1-2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
•2 fresh tomatoes (blended)
•2 tbsp. tamarind paste/liquid (soak tamarind in some warm water, then sieve out the seeds/strings
and use the remaining liquid/paste)
•1 lime (juiced)

Instructions
Make a paste out of the garlic cloves and the whole red chilies. Then put all the ingredients (except
for the lemon juice) in a pan and stir together. Gently simmer on low heat whilst stirring constantly
until the sauce thickens. Make sure not to stop stirring as that will cause the coconut milk to curdle
and we want a smooth sauce.

The trick is to maintain the heat on low and to stir continuously. When it is about done and thick-
ened, add in the lemon juice and stir. Give it a taste and adjust. The sauce will mellow out after it
sits for a while, so do not worry if it feels slightly tangy.. Take care not to over salt as the grilled fish
will also have some salt. When done, turn off the heat and keep stirring for a few more minutes
until the coconut sauce begins to cool down. Then set aside.

Grill the fish until it is almost done (about 10-12 min. each side).
If you are grilling on a BBQ grill, when the fish is about done, start brushing the coconut sauce over
the fish on both sides as it grills, turning it very gently or using a fish basket to flip it.

If you are grilling in the oven, when the fish is almost ready, take an oven proof dish that’s a bit
deep and put a few tbsp of the coconut sauce in it. Then place your grilled fish on the sauce, and
pour some more coconut sauce all over it, making sure it covers every part of the fish. Keep some
coconut sauce for serving with the fish later. Place the dish holding the coconut covered fish in the
oven under the grill for 10 minutes so that the coconut sauce sticks to the fish and the flavors are
infused. You can then gently turn the fish over and baste it with some more coconut sauce and put
it back under the grill for another 5 or 10 minutes.

Once done, smoke the fish for 3-5 minutes by lighting a small piece of coal and dripping a bit of oil
on it to release some smoke that will get infused into the fish. This will give the dish an authentic
BBQ aroma.
Serve with the remaining Coconut Sauce, lime wedges and some Coconut rice.
Serves 4

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