Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Maldivian Tuna Coconut Curry
馬爾代夫椰香吞拿魚咖喱
Recipe overview
Fresh tuna cubes simmer briefly in coconut milk with curry leaves, cardamom and cinnamon, keeping their shape. Use raw tuna loin, not canned tuna.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 600 g Raw tuna loin
- 100 g Onion
Curry seasoning
- 200 ml Unsweetened coconut milk
- 150 ml Water
- 1 tsp Minced ginger
- 1 tsp Minced garlic
- 8 Curry leaves
- 2 Green cardamom pods
- 3 cm Cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp Ground fennel
- 1/4 tsp Ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp Chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Lime juice
Cooking oil
- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
02
Tools
- Shallow lidded saucepan
- Knife and board
- Measuring jug and wooden spoon
- Probe thermometer
03
Steps
Step 1
Inspect tuna
Keep tuna refrigerated until preparation, pat dry, check for bones and remove tough sinew.
Step 2
Cube tuna
Cut into 2 cm cubes and refrigerate while waiting; clean hands and tools after raw fish.
Step 3
Prepare aromatics
Thinly slice onion, mince ginger and garlic and wash and dry curry leaves.
Step 4
Prepare spices and coconut
Lightly crack cardamom pods, keep cinnamon whole and stir coconut milk before measuring; set out the ground spices.
Step 5
Saute onion and whole spices
Heat oil over medium heat and cook onion, cardamom, cinnamon and curry leaves for 3 minutes.
Step 6
Add ground spices
Add ginger, garlic, cumin, fennel, turmeric and chilli and stir on low for 30 seconds.
Step 7
Add coconut and water
Pour in 200 ml coconut milk and 150 ml water, stir in salt and gently scrape the base.
Step 8
Simmer curry base
Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and cook for 3 minutes, avoiding a hard boil that splits coconut milk.
Step 9
Poach tuna
Add tuna in one layer; once the sauce returns to a gentle simmer, cook on low for 5–6 minutes, turning gently once halfway.
Step 10
Check tuna centre
Check the thickest cube reaches 63°C with opaque flesh that separates easily; continue if needed and turn off heat as soon as done.
Step 11
Remove whole spices and add lime
Remove the cinnamon and two cardamom pods, stir in lime juice and avoid breaking the tuna.
Step 12
Serve curry
Divide tuna and coconut sauce among four bowls, retaining curry leaves for aroma, and serve hot.
Common mistakes
- Canned tuna breaks up and dries under this timing.
- Uneven cubes cook unevenly.
- Hard-boiling coconut milk can split the sauce.
- Long cooking after doneness dries tuna.
Tips
Choose properly chilled fresh or safely thawed tuna and cut evenly into 2 cm cubes. This home recipe cooks tuna through; surface colour alone is insufficient, so probe the thickest piece. Thin an overly thick sauce with a little water before adding fish. Serve promptly once cooked and remove cinnamon and cardamom first.
