Doi Maach (Fish in Yogurt Sauce)

I made this one a while ago, but I have not been great about writing recipes up promptly lately and it got forgotten. I remember it being tasty, but not as good as the incredible cilantro fish curry that we made a couple months ago. That was a hard act to follow. Still, it was good. We enjoyed it. And it let us check off another recipe in the book (and finally make a bit more progress on the little-used fish and seafood chapter)!

Doi Maach

From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 450g tilapia fillets
• 1 c. plain yogurt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. mustard oil
• 1 Tbsp. panch phoron
• 2 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Sprinkle the turmeric over both sides of the fillets, cover, and chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
2. Whisk the sugar and salt into the yogurt and set aside.
3. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add the panch phoron and dried chilies and sizzle for 20-30 seconds.
5. Add the fish and sear on both sides for ~30 seconds per side then transfer to a plate and set aside.
6. Add the onion and ginger to the hot pan and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the yogurt mixture and stir to mix in the onion and ginger.
8. Bring to a boil and return the fish to the pan.
9. Spoon the sauce over the fish and poach, uncovere, until the fish is cooked through ~5 minutes.
10. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.