This Curry of Salted Rabbit Fish with Moringa leaves is a mild curry which is flavoured with coconut milk, turmeric and cinnamon. It is a creamy curry which is full of nutty flavour. Traditionally served with freshly steamed rice and a cucumber salad.
The Rabbit Fish- Kordonnyen
The rabbit fish , also known as stinging bream, spinefoot or happy moments (Australian), is known in Seychelles as kordonnyen, derives from the French word ‘cordonnier’ meaning a shoemaker. The name may have originated from the shoemaker spinefoot rabbit fish (seganus sutor), which is widely found all over the Indian Ocean. The rabbit fish is a tasty fish that possesses extremely spiny dorsal and anal fins. A very popular fish that has to be handled with care as the needle-sharp and rigid dorsal and anal spines are capable of inflicting painful, but not dangerous, wounds. Watch out for the forward projecting spine in the front of the first dorsal. This spine is not visible and it probably the worst of the lot.
The different types of Rabbit Fish or Spinefoot
There are different types of rabbit fish in Seychelles , including the streamlined rabbit fish or kordonnyen soulfanm; the blue-spotted rabbit fish or kordonnyen brizan ; the marbled rabbit fish or kordonnyen blan , the brown-spotted rabbit fish or kordonnyen margrit and black eye rabbit fish or kordonyen lafimen ; and kordonnyen molvil, of which I could not find the English name.
The salting
The rabbit fish are mostly abundant during their spawning season, or lapondant, and are found all over the islands, specially around the Consolation area of Praslin Island. The flesh is white and fairly coarse. They are usually caught in fish traps and salted and sun-dried when in abundance. This gives the fish a strong and distinctive flavour. Traditionally, when the fish is salted all the bones, as well as the frame of the fish or zaret (derived from the French arêtes), are left on. They are also not removed during the cooking process and this makes eating the dish quite tricky for the uninitiated. Most Seychellois people enjoy sucking at the bones. This is where the intense flavour lies.
Preparing the salted Rabbit fish
Place the salted fish together with the frame in a stainless bowl and add water. Soak for two to three hours. The soaking serves two purposes. Firstly, it helps to remove some of the salt from the fish and secondly, it assists in rehydrating the fish. The aim is never to remove all the salt from the fish completely; there should always be a salt taste remaining. After the fish has been soaked, remove from the water , place in a colander and give in a quick rinse and drain. In a medium pot, bring about 2 litres of water to the boil and boil the fish for no more than 10 minutes. Remove from hot water and allow to cool. Once cooled, pat dry and cut fish into bite size portions. Remember to cut the frames as well.
What is Bred?
Bred is a Seychellois Creole word that refers to a large variety of the tender leaves and shoots of some edible plants that are used as leaf vegetables and are commonly known as ‘greens’ or at times spinach ,although spinach is a name that applies to a specific vegetable. In Réunion Island it is known as ‘brèdes’.
The word bred is of Portuguese in origin and derives from ‘bredo’ or ‘brada’, meaning ‘green leaves that are eaten boiled’. It was introduced to Africa and subsequently to the Indian Ocean Islands by the Portuguese sailors, who were the first Europeans to establish settlements around Africa.
The main bred that are consumed in the Seychelles, apart from bred mouroum, are bred lanmar, bred paryater, bred martin, bred soudsin, bred sousout, bred zironmon, bred mayok, cresson or watercress and bred gondole.
The Moringa Leaves- Bred Mouroum
Bred Mouroum derives from Moringa (Moringa Pterygosperma) – which in turn derives from a Tamil word ‘murungai’ meaning “twisted pod”, alluding to the young fruit. Other common names include drumstick tree (from the long, slender, triangular seed-pods resembling a drumstick), horseradish tree (from the taste of the roots, which resembles horseradish), and ben oil tree or benzolive tree (from the oil which is derived from the seeds).
In Seychelles, we use mainly the tender leaves in bouyon, soups and chutneys. It is also known as bred pti fey, meaning ‘small leaf greens’, because of its small leaves.
The leaves are tear-drop shaped, averaging 1-2 centimeters in length and .5-1 centimeter in width. The vibrant green feathery leaves are smooth, thick, and firm. Moringa leaves offer a slightly bitter flavour with grass-like undertones and can often have a horseradish-like heat. During the cooking process, they release a distinct grassy aroma.
Harvesting and selection
If you have a Moringa tree in your backyard, you can always harvest a bunch of young fresh leaves. They are more flavourful and cook fast. Otherwise buy the green leaves from the Asian markets if available.
If you are harvesting from your backyard, the best time for harvesting is early in the morning to prevent excess evaporation. You can use a sharp knife and cut the young leaf stems, or you can snap the stems at the nodes or just tear a few branches off. All methods you decide to use will promote the development of new shoots.
If you have the opportunity to buy fresh leaves always ensure that they are light-green in colour and avoid those with dull/sunken leaves, yellow discoloration, and spots. Once at home, wash them thoroughly in clean running water, in order to remove dirt and any insecticide residues.
Storage
Although it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, fresh leaves should be eaten at the earliest in order to get maximum nutrition benefits. They lose moisture quickly after harvesting and tend to wilt easily and lose fragrance. It will spoil very easily if they are stored tightly together.
Preparation of the Leaves
Preparing the bred mouroum leaves requires a bit of patience, because you have to carefully pick each leaf individually from its petiole, which is the stalk that attaches the leaf blade to the stem. The petioles are not digestible.
A tip that may assist in this process is to insert the small twigs of the bred in a plastic bag and place them in a fridge overnight and shake them vigorously the next day while still in the bag. The cold tends to dislodge some of the leaves away from the petioles shortening the preparation process.
Traditionally this process, in order for it to become less tedious, is conducted while taking part in gossiping; while watching a domino game or just having a general chat… Once the leaves have been picked they are washed and drained and kept for the next stage
Alternative to Fresh Moringa leaves
Some Asian shops and specialty shops now start to stock frozen Moringa leaves in small packets of about 125 g. The end result will not be 100% but it is a very good alternative. The only problem you may encounter with frozen leaves is that there are a lot of petioles still attached to the leaves.
Making the Curry of Salted Rabbit Fish with Moringa leaves
Place a medium size pot on your working top and add the cut fish and all the ingredients, except ½ of the garlic and ½ of the ginger , stir a few times to mix all ingredients.
When you are happy that the ingredients are thoroughly mix, place the pot on medium heat and cook, with lid off, for about 20 minutes, stirring a few times.
Add remaining garlic and ginger and thoroughly stir in, cook for another 2 minutes and remove from heat. Remove cut chilli if required
Season and serve with boiled rice, freshly made chilli sauce and a cucumber salad or a freshly made green pawpaw chutney.
Cook’s Note
You will notice that when cooking this curry I do not sweat the onion like you would when cooking most other curries and there is no addition of any vinegary or acidic ingredients, because acidic ingredients may curdle your coconut milk, especially if it has been freshly made.
The chillies are sliced in half and seeds removed so that they can impart some heat and extra flavour and can easily be removed before service. Biting on a goat chilli is not for the faint hearted.
If you prefer a spicier version of this curry, you may add two crushed goat chillies ,or piman kabri , with seeds left in, or use a hot curry powder.
Here is the recipe for Curry of Salted Rabbit Fish with Moringa–Kari Koko Kordonnyen Sale ek Bred Mouroum
This Curry of Salted Rabbit Fish with Moringa leaves is a mild curry which is flavoured with coconut milk, turmeric and cinnamon. It is a creamy curry which is full of nutty flavour. Traditionally served with freshly steamed rice and a cucumber salad.
- 2 salted rabbit fish
- ½ onion- coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic – crushed
- 1 tsp crushed ginger
- 1½ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tins coconut milk or milk of three coconuts
- 2 litre water to boil fish
- 2 cinnamon leaves or 1 quill
- 1 bunch fresh moringa leaves or 500g frozen moringa leaves
- 2 Fresh chilli , preferably goat chillies – seeded and cut in half
- Salt and cracked black pepper
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Soak salted fish and the frames in cold water for about two hours to dilute the salt content from and to rehydrate the fish.
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Remove the fish from soaking liquid and place in a colander and give a quick wash under running water and allow to drain.
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In a medium pot add about 2 litres of water and bring to the boil and boil fish for about 10 minutes. Remove from hot water and allow to cool.
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Once cooled, pat dry and cut fish into bite size portions. Remember to cut the frames as well.
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Place a medium size pot on your working top and add the cut fish and all the ingredients, except ½ of the garlic and ½ of the ginger , stir a few times to mix all ingredients.
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When you are happy that the ingedients are thoroughly mix, place the pot on medium heat and cook, with lid off, for about 20 minutes, stirring a few times.
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Add remaining garlic and ginger and thoroughly stir in, cook for another 2 minutes and remove from heat.
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Remove cut chilli if required.
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Season and serve with boiled rice, freshly made chilli sauce and a cucumber salad or a freshly made chutney
The traditional way of cooking this dish is to leave the bones on. This however makes eating the dish quite a difficult experience to the uninitiated except if you choose the tail end of the fillets where there are minimal bones.
You may also attempt to remove the bones. This will be very arduous and you may end up breaking the fish into very small pieces.
You will notice that when cooking this curry I do not sweat the onion like you would when cooking most other curries and also there is no addition of any vinegary or acidic ingredients, because acidic ingredients may curdle your coconut milk, especially if it has been freshly made.
The chillies are sliced in half and seeds removed so that they can impart some heat and extra flavour and can easily be removed before service. Biting on a goat chilli is not for the faint hearted.
If you prefer a spicier version of this curry, you may add two crushed goat chillies ,or piman kabri , with seeds left in, or use a hot curry powder.
Did you make this recipe?
I hope you will enjoy cooking this dish. Please let me know how it turned out for you. If you have a different version of the recipe or have related questions, please leave your comments below.
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