Ocean Made Chef - June 2019 - Ocean Made Seafood

Ingredients

FISH CURRY

5L coconut cream – use a coconut cream with zero additives and let settle. When using DO NOT shake the cream, take the top third off to caramelise, save the second two thirds for later.
4 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
4 large onion, finely chopped
10 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large knob fresh ginger
1 turmeric fresh
30 kaffir lime leaves
60 fresh curry leaves
6 tsp Aleppo chilli powder
2 tsp cayenne chilli powder
6 tsp ground coriander
6 tsp ground cumin
6 tsp turmeric
6 kg tomatoes
400 ml tamarind water
2 green chillies, each sliced lengthways into 6 pieces, with seeds
Palm sugar & fish sauce to season

CRISPY CHICKPEAS

250ml Olive oil
200gm fresh or tinned chickpeas
Merguez spiced seasoning (see recipe)
10gm flake salt

GARNISH

Spring Onions

Method

FISH CURRY

Make fresh paste from onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, green chilli, turmeric
Make dry spice mix with turmeric, cumin, coriander, Aleppo chilli, cayenne chilli
Caramelise ½ coconut cream in heavy based pot until golden caramelised and the oil has split out
Add fresh paste mix and cook out approx. 6-7minutes
Add dry spice mix and cook out approx. 2-3minutes until aromatic and golden
Caramelise palm sugar in the curry base
Add tomatoes, stock and the coconut milk
Add tamarind water to season only – be careful with sourness and strength
Season curry

CRISPY CHICKPEAS

Fresh chickpeas are always better. But if you don’t have time use a good quality organic tinned chickpea.
If using fresh, soak overnight. Cook the next morning until soft, refrigerate until cooled.
If using tinned, drain and wash well dry on paper towel.
Fry cooled dry cooked chickpeas in canola oil at 170’c until crispy. About 3-4 minutes.
Carefully drain through pasta colander shake excess oil off then immediately season with spice mix and salt. The seasoning sticks to the chickpeas better if there is some oil residue on the chickpeas

PLATING
Garnish the curry with spring onions, crispy chickpeas.

About Chef

After Daniel Cooper finished his apprenticeship with the Spicers Group and at Aria in Brisbane, he moved to Melbourne in 2012, where he earned further experience at the (now retired) famed Circa at The Prince. He spent four-and-half-years at Circa under chefs Jake Nicholson and Paul Wilson before being head-hunted to set-up the kitchen for Sandhill Road Group’s Garden State Hotel with chef Ashly Hicks.

He’s taken on the executive chef role at the newly renovated Prince Dining Room – PDR St Kilda – and the rest of the venue and has brought Ocean Made with him.

“I’ve been with Ocean Made for four years now. I started with them at Garden State they were one of the first people I called when I took on this role in St Kilda. They know what I need and having them on-board is so important to the venue and to me.”