Fish Sothi (Sri Lankan Yellow Fish Curry)

A lightly spiced, quick and easy coconut curry of Sri Lankan and South Indian origin, fish sothi is quite often made just with vegetables. I am a huge fan of the fish version, a very local recipe found in Singapore and Malaysia, given their not so insignificant Sri Lankan and South Indian population.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

fish sothi
Fish Sothi

A Childhood Memory

I have no idea how or when I learnt this recipe, it was just one of those dishes that was always around, you know what I mean?

However, there is a particular set of memories that fish sothi evokes, of a time when I lived with an aunt and uncle in Singapore. For a little while, my uncle went through a stage of making this all the time, we’re talking twice a week. Luckily, it was a firm family favourite, so we weren’t about to complain!

Fish Sothi
My uncle and 1st cousin, Faisal

This late uncle of mine, Louis, has, like so many of my extended family members, a very mixed cultural background. His eyes were a mixed shade of blue, leaning just slightly towards slate, this, from his blond and blue eyed Scottish dad. His skin was the colour of dark coffee with just a touch of creamer, a clear reflection of his Sri Lankan mother’s heritage.

To add to that mix, he was later adopted by an Arab family in Singapore! You can see, can’t you, how I grew up equipped with a very diverse culinary repertoire? The picture above shows him holding his oldest, my cousin Faisal, taken sometime in the mid 70s.

Fish Sothi Recipe

This fish sothi is very similar to the Malay Ikan Masak Lemak, Ayam Masak Lemak Chili Padi (below) and Sayur Lemak or the Indonesian Sayur Lodeh.

It’s a really easy recipe, a case of putting most of the ingredients in the pan and simmering till done. I like to finish the dish off with a final flourish that is optional. This is called tadka/tarka, or final tempering, where you quickly sauté some mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried chillies and pour it over the finished dish.

Fish sothi is usually eaten with rice although traditionally, in Sri Lanka, it is also served with string hoppers, a plain vermicelli type Indian noodles.

Close up shot of Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi, also called Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Api
Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi (Chicken curry with bird’s eye chillies)

I love using swordfish for this, but any white firm fleshed fish will do.

If you can’t get curry leaves, finish the dish off with a garnish of fresh coriander leaves (cilantro).

Chilli – this is a mild curry, so the green chilli should be a mild one, with seeds removed. The dried red chilli at the end is just for flavouring and unless you break it up, shouldn’t release any heat into the gravy.

Vegetarian Sothi

Just replace the fish with curry friendly vegetables like okra, marrow, carrots and green beans. Tofu is fantastic in this too and if you eat eggs, add some boiled eggs to it right at the end.

So here’s the recipe for Fish Sothi, the way my uncle used to cook it.

Shall we get our aprons on?

If you like the recipe, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! Thank you!

And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood

Lin xx

Fish Sothi (Sri Lankan Yellow Curry)

Fish sothi recipe. A lightly spiced, quick and easy coconut curry of Sri Lankan and South Indian origin, but considered local in Singapore.
4.96 from 89 votes
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Course: Main Course with Rice
Cuisine: South Asian
Keyword: curry, fish, fish curry
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 289kcal
Author: Azlin Bloor

Ingredients

Ingredients A

  • 400 ml coconut milk
  • 200 ml water
  • 1 medium onion halved, then thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 2.5 cm ginger finely chopped or grated
  • 1 mild green chilli left whole or seeds removed if sliced
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 medium aubergine cut into bitesize slices
  • ¼-½ tsp salt

Ingredients B

  • 4 fish fillets
  • 2 tomatoes quartered
  • juice of 1 lime

Ingredients C – Tarka/Tempering

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 sprig curry leaves if unavailable, leave out and finish with chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
  • ½ tsp black mustard seeds
  • 2 dried red chillies whole

Instructions

  • Place all the ingredients from A into a large saucepan.
  • Bring to a simmer on medium heat. Then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, uncovered.
  • Add the fish and tomatoes from B and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the fish is done. This will depend on the thickness of your fish.
  • Turn the heat off. Take a ladle of the curry and mix the lime juice in. Now pour this mix back into the saucepan and stir well but gently, don’t break the fish up. Check the seasoning and add more salt if necessary.

Tempering (Tarka, aka Tadka)

  • Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat until the oil is hot but not smoking.
  • Add all ingredients C in and fry for about 10 seconds and immediately, pour this hot oil mix all over the fish sothi and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 61mg | Potassium: 706mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 619IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 4mg
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8 thoughts on “Fish Sothi (Sri Lankan Yellow Fish Curry)”

  1. Seetha Thallur

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe, easy to follow & my guests included a Sri Lankan friend who enjoyed it

  2. Ray Donovan

    This is an amazing recipe. Doesn’t take long to make and the taste is fantastic. Thanks for a great blog.

  3. Jasminder Kaur

    What a colour to the curry. I am Singaporean of north & south Indian heritage, and I remember my mum making this when we were young. I love the personal history and story you’ve given to this recipe, will be trying it real soon, thank you!

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