Cooking a curry from scratch can feel a little daunting, but Amy and Emily Chung – AKA The Rangoon Sisters – create easy-to-follow recipes for traditional Burmese dishes. Lightly spiced, warming and stunningly simple, this fish curry is one you’ll return to again and again.

Serves 4

• 500g firm white fish, skin removed and cut into 5cm chunks
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• ½ thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled
• 8 tbsp oil (vegetable, sunflower or peanut)
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp medium chilli powder
• 2–3 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped

For the marinade

• 1½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp salt

To serve

• Coriander leaves
• Crispy fried onions (homemade or shop-bought)

1   First make the marinade. Combine the turmeric and salt in a bowl, then add the fish chunks and turn to coat them in the marinade. Transfer to the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, crush the garlic cloves and ginger to a paste using a pestle and mortar or blitz in a food processor.

2   Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large casserole dish. Add the chopped onions and cook slowly, turning the heat down to low-medium and stirring every 4–5 minutes until softened and starting to colour lightly and become oily – this will take at least 15 minutes. Once the onions are ready, add the crushed garlic and ginger and fry for a few minutes until fragrant.

3   Add the spices, fish sauce and chopped tomatoes, breaking them up slightly as you stir. Allow to simmer for 5–10 minutes. Add the fish and 100ml of water. Bring to the boil and cover with a lid, then simmer over a low heat for 5–10 minutes until the fish is cooked.

4   Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and crispy onions if desired and serve with rice.

Top Tip

For best results, use any firm, meaty white fish, such as cod, pollock, haddock or coley. Be sure to use large chunks and try not to over-stir during cooking so that the pieces remain intact.