Fish Tenga

Or at least my version of fish tenga. With all my favorite spices, such as fresh ginger, lots of garlic, chili peppers, coriander and turmeric.
Did you know that in order to bring out the real, full flavor of spices they must be fried? When you make a sauce, don’t just throw in the curry, turmeric, chili powder or other spices towards the end of the cooking process. Fry the spices first for a little bit (with some olive oil, onion and garlic, for example) until the smell is released and use that mix as a base for your sauce. Once you experience that smell, you will know what I mean.

Do not underestimate spices. They do not only add great flavor and color to your dishes, but they are also very healthy and good for digestion. The healthiest spices include turmeric, cayenne, chili peppers, ginger, garlic and cinnamon. Turmeric is becoming more and more popular. For centuries it has been used as a powerful anti-inflammatory food. Turmeric is helpful with rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohns disease and colitis. It also has powerful antioxidants which neutralize free radicals throughout the body and inhibits cancer cell growth. The list of healthy benefits of Turmeric is very long.

U need (serves 3-4)

4 cod fillets of around 120 grams each (you can use any fish you want, I recommend salmon)

A handful of regular flour

A handful of fresh coriander

1 or 2 chili peppers (I used a green and a red one)

Quite a large piece of fresh ginger (about 5 cm long)

6-8 cloves of garlic

1 onion

1 spoon of turmeric


juice from 1 lime

2 tomatoes

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 spoon of sugar

Sour cream (optional)

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

How to make it

Throw in the coriander, chili peppers, ginger, garlic, onion, lime juice and turmeric in a blender, add some olive oil and make a paste out of it. Put it away in the fridge while you make the fish.

Rinse the fillets with water, season with salt and pepper and roll through the flour (make sure they are covered well). Fry the fillets in hot olive oil for a few minutes on each side. If you want a lighter and healthier version, don't use the flour and simply grill the fillets for a few minutes on each side. Put them aside on a plate.

Peel the tomatoes and cut them into little cubes.

Take the paste and fry it for a few minutes on the same frying pan that you used for the fish. Keep stirring. When the smell becomes really intense it is time to add the tomatoes (fresh and canned). Stir everything well and season with salt. You can add some sugar to soften the sourness of the tomatoes. If you use high-quality tomatoes (both fresh and canned) the sugar will most likely not be necessary. Let everything cook for about 20 minutes (with the lid on), stirring every once in a while.

Now you can add some sour cream. This will soften the character of the sauce and make it a lot smoother.

Place the cod on top of the sauce and close the lid. Leave everything to cook for about 15-20 minutes on a smal flame, until the fish is warm again and has absorbed the flavor of the sauce.

This dish goes very well with all kinds of noodles, couscous or basmati rice and a simple green salad. Sprinkle some fresh coriander on top for some extra color. Enjoy!