Mackerel Spice Curry, made with SN2

The savour of mackerel wound through the aroma of SN2 spices — a curry for grown-up tastes.

SPICE CURRY SPICE PACK (Spice Curry Spice Pack Symphony No.2 / SN2) makes this Mackerel Spice Curry.

A word about how this recipe came about. A few years ago we published a recipe for mackerel pasta, and it took off in one neighbourhood of Kanazawa, Ishikawa — enough that, so the story goes, the smell of mackerel and nam pla drifted through the streets on weekend evenings. We wanted to see whether that dish could be expressed as a spice curry, and this is the result.

There are four rules to keep to in this recipe.

• Use a Ça va? can (Japanese canned mackerel), yellow label
• Always top it with myoga (Japanese ginger bud)
• Use nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
• Use black sesame oil

You could refine this dish endlessly, but we have kept the ingredients and the steps as simple as we can, because we would rather as many people as possible got to taste it.

If you enjoy it and want to know the more elaborate version, send us a DM on Instagram. Questions about the mackerel pasta are just as welcome.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• SN2 / starter spices (the bag of whole spices): 1 bag
• SN2 / powder spices (the bag of ground spices): 1 bag
• Ça va? can (yellow can): 1 can
• Naganegi (Japanese leek): 1
• Myoga (Japanese ginger bud): about 2
• Tomato purée: 150–200g (about one shop-bought pack)
• Garlic: 2 cloves (sliced)
• Ginger: 10g grated
• Nam pla (Thai fish sauce): 1 tbsp
• Black sesame oil: 1 tbsp
• Sake: 1 tbsp
• Vinegar: 1 tbsp
• Sugar: 1 tsp
• Salt: 1 tsp
• Olive oil: 2 tbsp
• Water: 200ml
  
  

Preparation

• Cut the myoga however you like
• Slice the naganegi

Method

1. Pour the olive oil into a pan, add the starter spices (the bag of whole spices), then set it over low heat.
   
   
2. Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add the grated garlic and ginger and stir them through the spices. Keep stirring for about 30 seconds.
   
   
3. Add the Ça va? can, turn the heat to medium and cook.
   
   

   If it looks like catching, splash in a little water and keep cooking patiently.

4. Add the naganegi and cook it through.
   
   
5. Once the naganegi has softened, add the nam pla: 1 tbsp, black sesame oil: 1 tbsp, sake: 1 tbsp, vinegar: 1 tbsp, sugar: 1 tsp and salt: 1 tsp, and cook.
   
   
6. Add the tomato purée and water: 200ml; when it comes to a gentle simmer, add all of the powder spices and stir, thinking of it as cooking the powder itself through.
   
   
7. When it has thickened, adjust the salt, spoon it onto a plate and finish with the myoga.
   
   

In the photograph we have added a modest, tidy little pile of myoga for the look of it — but do heap it on, mix it all together and enjoy it in big mouthfuls.

Inspice spice curry spice sets contain none of the chilli, cayenne or red pepper that usually carries the heat, so add as much as you like to suit your taste.