We are making MackerelCurry using as many frozen ingredients as possible. This curry is speedy to make and delicious. I wonder why this dish makes me feel so cheerful. It’s my favorite!
First, let's saute the bell peppers since they are relatively firm. We are using some frozen ingredients today, but of course you can also use non-frozen ingredients.
Add about a half tablespoon of olive oil and saute the green and red bell peppers stored in the freezer on high heat.
Lightly season with salt. Freezing ingredients in small portions while they are still fresh is convenient because you can use them right away without thawing. Also, only the necessary amount can be used up without waste.
Stir-fry until lightly browned, but do not move the bell pepper too much. We are using a small pan since this is only for two people.
Remove and place it onto a tray.
Next, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped onion. This is plenty of onion, isn't it?
Saute on high heat. Toss to coat with the oil all over and distribute the onion evenly.
When the onion around the edges of the pan begins to brown, flip the center slightly to see how well it has browned. If the color is too light, flatten the onion again.
When it browns thoroughly, mix the onion from the bottom.
Flatten the onion and brown it again.
Repeat this process until it reaches this level of color.
Then, turn off the heat and move the onion to the other side. Tilt the pan and add a half tablespoon of olive oil.
Add the cumin seeds and one third of the dried red chili pepper.
The pan should still be hot, so small bubbles should form.
When it begins to grow fragrant, move the pan to a normal position and combine with the onion.
Add the chopped garlic and ginger root and mix. Slice the garlic and ginger before freezing so that they will semi-thaw quickly and are easy to chop into pieces.
Turn on the burner and reduce the heat to low. Stir and saute on low heat until aromatic. Mmmm. It smells so good!
Now, add the curry powder. Keep the heat low the whole time because it burns easily.
Stir-fry for about 1 minute until combined. The curry mixture already looks delicious.
Place the packaged boiled tomato in the center. Then, turn up the heat to high. We cut up the packaged boiled whole tomatoes with kitchen scissors, divided them into 100 g (3.5 oz) portions, and stored them in the freezer. We are using one portion, 100g of the frozen tomatoes.
Thaw the tomato and combine the mixture.
When the tomato is mixed in, add the honey and salt.
Keep the heat on high since the tomato was cold.
Add the sauteed bell peppers and distribute.
This is our favorite packaged boiled mackerel, which we always use. Canned mackerel is very popular in Japan and is often featured on TV. They are delicious, nutritious, and come in many varieties.
Add the mackerel along with the broth as it is full of umami flavor and nutrients dissolved into the broth.
You might want to avoid breaking the mackerel into small pieces. Instead, split it along the backbone to give it presence. The packaged fish made from large mackerel is fatty and delicious.
Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and test the curry. Even those who don't like mackerel won't taste any fishy flavor at all because of the curry powder. If it is too light, adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
Now, it is ready.
Let's make the poached eggs for the topping. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the hot water and mix lightly with kitchen chopsticks. The vinegar helps to prevent the egg white from scattering in the hot water.
When it begins to simmer, gently place the eggs one at a time into boiling water.
The amount of water in the pot should be just enough to cover the eggs. This pot contains about 750 ml (3.17 cups) of hot water.
Roll the eggs gently.
After about 30 seconds of rolling, when the egg yolks have settled in the center, turn off the heat.
Cover with a lid and let it sit for about two and a half minutes.
Then, open the lid and gently press the egg to see how firm it is. If it is still too soft, cover and let it sit for about 20 seconds at a time.
Remove and place the poached eggs onto a paper towel.
The eggs break easily, so lift them up gently.
Let's serve the curry. Arrange the mackerel curry around the hot steamed rice. Green bell peppers and red bell peppers are nutritious and colorful and look delicious so we recommend using them.
Place the poached egg on top. You can also use onsen tamago or hot spring eggs instead of the poached eggs.
Split the poached egg, cover the curry with the egg yolk and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
For kids, you can make it milder and tastier by leaving out the red chili pepper, using a little less curry powder, and adding coconut milk. If you don't have coconut milk, you can use regular milk.
In general, when vegetables are fully thawed, the water will come out and they will become soggy so it is best to use them half-thawed or frozen.