Recipe Details

Servings: 6

Recipe Category: Lunch, Dinner

Difficulty Level: Medium

Cooking Times 60 minutes

This was one of the first recipes I tried that had Indian and African origins. This delicious recipe was shared with me by a friend who was originally from Tanzania. It is a perfect combination of spicy, crunchy, and sour!

Tip: Use a splatter guard as the potatoes and fish splatter when frying.

What you’ll need

• 1.5 lb Fresh tilapia fillet that has been  washed 

• 2  Onions (medium)  sliced thin

• 1 large Potato cut in round thin slices coated with salt/turmeric/chili powder

• 1 large Tomato, chopped

• 1.5 tbsp Garlic/Ginger paste

• 2 tspn Tomato paste

• 2 tbsp Coriander/Cumin  powder

• 1 tbsp Turmeric

• 2 tspn Chili powder

• Lemon Juice

• Salt

• Coriander leaves for garnishing

1. Add some salt and lemon juice to the fillets and set aside for a couple of hours.

2. Fry the potatoes (use a splatter cover to avoid getting burnt)   

3. Drain potato slices on paper towels

4. Drain the fillets of lemon juice and fry in the same oil. Taste the fish for salt before you make the masala and then you can add less salt to the masala if the fish is pretty salty.

5. Mix the dry masalas in a bowl by adding enough lemon juice to make a paste.

6. Fry the onion in a pan until golden. 

7. Add tomatoes to this and continue frying until the tomato is soft.

8. Add the masala paste and garlic/ginger to this and fry until the oil separates from it. This takes a few minutes.

9. Add small amounts of water if it begins to stick to the pan and continue stirring

10. Add the tomato paste last and cook for a few more minutes.

11. Taste the masala for salt, chili, and lemon juice. It should taste ‘sour’ and ‘spicy’ so add more chili powder /lemon juice if needed 

12. The masala should be pretty saucy—enough to coat the fish/potatoes but not too runny.

13. Preheat the oven to 350. Arrange the fish pieces and the potatoes in a baking dish. 

14. Pour the masala over everything and place in the oven for approx 25 minutes.

15. Sprinkle with lots of fresh coriander when you serve.