Fish in Ginger & Spinach Broth

OLYMPIYA C. BOISS — One Workplace, Oakland

PREP TIME: 10 minutes | COOK TIME: 35 minutes | TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes

This is a family recipe from my mother. It is simple and easy to make but packed with flavors and nutrients. Fresh water fish plays a huge part in Assamese Cuisine, as Assam (northeastern India) is located on the banks of a river. Assamese cuisine is characterized by minimal uses of spices. Flavors are subtle and fresh. This recipe goes well with steamed rice. It’s a favorite in my household and kid approved too. Every time I prepare this dish, I think of my mom and all the happy, precious moments I spent with my family in my India home.

Marinade the fish with salt and turmeric, and keep aside.

Meanwhile, heat a wide wok on medium heat and add oil. When the oil smokes, shallow fry the fish pieces, remove them from the wok, and keep aside.

Heat the remaining oil, and let it smoke on a high flame. Once the oil starts to smoke, lower the flame to medium and add fenugreek seeds and chopped ginger.

When it starts to crackle, add the chopped spinach. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add turmeric and salt.

Add 1 ½ cups of warm water and boil on a high flame for a few minutes until it starts to bubble.

Add the fried fish pieces and let it simmer for another 10 minutes.

Once the quantity reduces, check for seasoning and turn off flame.

Garnish with fresh cilantro (optional) and enjoy with piping hot steamed rice. 3 tbsp of oil

4-5 pieces of fish (basa, catfish, pompano, etc.)

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tbsp crushed ginger

1 bunch of roughly chopped spinach

1 tsp turmeric

Salt per taste

1 ½ cups of water

Cilantro for garnishing – optional

For most black people, recipes passed down generation after generation act as a connecting thread for the family. It’s more than food. It’s the tastes that bring back childhood memories, the stories told around the recipe, and the reminiscing that happens as we gather, laugh, and cry over our plates. The love, laughter, and togetherness we experience is thanks to the food we love.

Soul Food is one of the most recognizable types of cooking from the United States. It originated in the Deep South during the transatlantic slave trade. Slave traders purposefully imported crops native to Africa –– and from this the four essential staples of Soul Food emerged (rice, okra, greens, and pork). Even though these recipes were born from struggle and survival, today they’re synonymous with comfort and abundance. Our cooking may have evolved over the last 200 years, but our traditions of coming together to prepare, cook, serve, and gather remain the same.

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