Tilapia with Coconut Curry Sauce and Coconut Jasmine Rice

Another attempt in my quest to like fish.

A definite win!  The sauce and the rice were so delicious, I didn't even mind the fish.

The coconut curry sauce is to die for.  I used sweet curry powder rather than hot curry powder, making it not too spicy.  The curry paste came through with a great, strong flavor.

I think chicken would work just as well as fish if you'd rather.  I broiled the tilapia this time around, but I think the tilapia could just as easily be grilled for this dish.

The rice.  Oh the rice.  It was plump and sweet and perfectly textured.  I strayed from my usual brown rice and tried some jasmine rice with the coconut milk, and it was a fabulous pairing with the curry sauce.

Tilapia with Coconut Curry Sauce
From Cooking Light 

1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger in a pinch)
1/2 tsp minced garlic cloves
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp curry powder (I used sweet)
2 tsp red curry paste 
1/2 tsp ground cumin 
4 tsp soy sauce 
1 TB brown sugar 
1/4 tsp salt
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk 
2 TB chopped fresh cilantro 

4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
Toasted sesame oil
Salt and pepper


3 cups coconut jasmine rice (recipe below)
Lime wedges

Preheat broiler or grill.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Add ginger and garlic to the skillet and cook 1 minute.

Add pepper and onions and cook 2-3 minutes.

Add in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin and cook 1 minute.

Add soy sauce, sugar, salt, and coconut milk.  Bring sauce to a simmer, but do not boil.

Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

Brush fish with sesame oil and season with salt and pepper and place on baking sheet.   

Broil 7-10 minutes until fish flakes easily.

Squeeze lime wedges over fish and serve with rice and curry sauce.


Coconut Jasmine Rice
 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice


Add coconut milk, water and rice to rice cooker and cook until done.  


Serve hot with fish and curry sauce.

Click to print recipe

Chicken Tikka Masala

I give you the best dish I have ever made in my life.

But then I'm partial to Indian food.

It's another slow cooker recipe, although a little more involved than the chicken mole. But it is worth the work a hundred times over.

Serve it up with some coconut basmati rice and homemade naan and you'll have a restaurant quality meal.

Chicken Tikka Masala - Slow Cooker

From Eat, Live, Run

9 boneless/skinless chicken thighs (about 3 1/2 lbs)
1 TB dried parsley (or ground coriander)
1 TB cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup yogurt
4 TB Butter
1 whole jalapeno

4 TB Butter
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
1 TB kosher salt
3 TB garam masala
2-3 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated
4 cups crushed tomatoes
1 TB white sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups cream

To prepare the chicken:

Cut the chicken thighs into 1- 1 1/2 inch pieces.

Sprinkle the parsley, cumin and salt over the chicken, then stir in the yogurt until all the pieces are evenly coated. Cover lightly and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Melt 1 TB of the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.

Raise the heat to medium high and brown both sides of about 1/4 of the chicken (no need to cook it fully as it will finish cooking in the slow cooker).

Transfer the browned chicken to the slow cooker.

Melt another TB of butter and brown the next 1/4 of the chicken pieces. Repeat until all of the chicken has been browned and is in the slow-cooker.

Remove the stem from the jalapeno, pierce it several times with a knife and throw it in the slow cooker on top of the chicken.

To prepare the sauce:

Melt 4 TB of butter over medium high heat. Stir in the onions, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown.

Stir in the garam masala and ginger and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).

Increase the heat to high and add the crushed tomatoes and sugar.

Stir well, scraping the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil.

Pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours, or until the chicken is very tender.

Use a fork or whisk to stir the cornstarch into the heavy cream until smooth.

Pour into the slow-cooker and stir gently until the colour is even.

Replace the lid and let cook for 10 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.

Serve over hot coconut basmati rice (recipe below).

Coconut Rice

Cook the rice in equal parts coconut milk and water (note: a can of coconut milk is a little less than 2 cups). Stir in some shredded coconut for the last few minutes of cooking.

Basmati rice is delicious, but I've used a combo of brown and white rice when that's all I had on hand.

Click to print recipe