Fish simmered in a coconut sauce ground with red chillies and coriander seed, soured with kokum or tamarind — eaten with red rice every day in Goa.
What makes it goan fish curry
Fresh coconut ground smooth with dried red chillies, coriander seed and turmeric.
Soured with kokum, tamarind or raw mango.
Fish added last, just to cook through.
Eaten with boiled red rice.
Where it comes from
Fish curry and rice is the everyday meal of Goans of every faith. Mackerel, kingfish, pomfret, sardines and prawns all go into it, depending on the day's catch.
Hindu kitchens tend to sour it with kokum or raw mango; Catholic ones often with tamarind. Ambot tik, meaning sour and hot, is a sharper version made without coconut, often with shark or small fish.
How it varies
Ambot tik
Sour and hot, with little or no coconut.
Prawn curry
The same sauce, with prawns and often drumstick or okra.