Cherry tomatoes and Indian cooking are really not that compatible. In Indian villages cherry tomatoes are ignored as they drop from plants and remain scattered on the ground. They remain like that until they merge back into earth. In the cities however there is considerable intrigue about cherry tomatoes as often indicated by the price they demand. I am sharing a simple recipe using cherry tomatoes as the gravy infusion with Tilapia fish. This fish has its own inherent sweetness though often found swimming in brackish water besides crowding lakes and ponds.
My food word for this recipe would be a Goan twist.
When you go out shopping look for;
Tilapia
Cherry tomatoes
Onions
Salt
Green chillies
Goan masala
Turmeric powder
Chilli powder
The recipe would be;
Wash and clean the four pieces of fish well and cut them into half. Next marinate with salt, turmeric, chilly powder and gently coat all over. Set aside for an hour. Then in mild warm oil in a pan, lightly fry on both sides.
You will need three onions. Chop and make a coarse paste. In warm oil lightly caramelise the onion paste. In two or three minutes, add two tbsp of Goan fish masala and cook in low heat. Sprinkle a bit of water to prevent from burning and keep stirring. Add salt to taste. Now add about a glass and a half of hot water and allow the gravy to come to a bubble. As soon as you see the simmer add a handful of cherry tomatoes and immediately add the fish pieces. You will see lovely red golden gravy with some gorgeous reds bobbing all over. If you enjoy a bit of spice you can pop in a couple of shining green whole green chillies. In about four minutes, ladle out fish with gravy and tomatoes onto brown rice and dig in!
