Wan's Curry Fish Head

There are many ways to make Fish Head Curry..all are nice but different. I pun improvised my mum's cooking to make it easier yet maintain the taste of mum's cooking..I use to remember at home in Alor Star, where I was born and brought up, our lives were more moderate than most. My father is a nature lover so we are exposed more to nature..but mum was a bit perturb by my father's antics..anyway, she normally cooks fish curry as the main dish whenever we have special guests to lunch or dinner at home...I always stand by but not involved in the actual cooking hehehe..jadi mandur jer lah..

Fish Head - Jenahak, Kurau, Tenggiri, Merah or whatever fish that u like..I love Jenahak for
curry ( simply because mum memang use Jenahak steaks lah not the head)

Vegetables for the curry - upto u to add what vegetables but these are recommended as well as quantity also up to u how many u want to put.
Ladies fingers ( bendi lah)
Tomatoes
Terung bulat (Round aubergines)
Bawang besar (quartered)
Cili hijau ( cut into two lenghtwise)

4-6 tbsp cooking oil ( I like to put more than normal because it will make your curry look nice)
1/2 packet Curry powder - the medium sized packet
5 shallots - thinly cut
3 garlic - thinly cut
curry leaves
mixed halba ( it's called halba campur in Malay) optional but good if u have them..more flavor.
tarmarind - soak in water to get the juice about 1/4 cup - actually to taste
4-6 cups of water (depend on how u like the consistency of the curry)
1/4 cup santan pekat (coconut milk in a box)
salt to taste

Method:

Heat up the oil in a pot and fry the shallots and garlic till golden..meantime throw in the halba campur and curry leaves..by now the aroma would have flooded yr kitchen..
Then u add in the curry powder (yes the powder) and add in 1/2 -1 cup of water and simmer till the curry paste is really cooked and thicken..it takes about 10-15 minutes..be patient my mum used to say.to make good curry, the curry paste must be really cooked and once the fragrance fills the air, then u add 2-3 cups of water and let it boil. Add aubergine and ladies fingers (bendi.) Simmer lagi. Add tamarind juice to taste and coconut milk whilst still simmering.

When the vegetables are half cooked add in the fish head, tomatoes, green chillies and the quartered onions into the pot. Lastly add salt to taste and also more water (I suggest put hot water at this point) if u want it more soupy. Care should be taken so as not to drown the layer of oil on top of the curry.(my mum is very particular about this..if there is no layer of oil on top of curry, she say that is definitely not curry...)

Let it simmer for about 10 minutes then it is ready.