Don Signature Crab - Singapore Food Guide

Curry Fish Tail

A Singapore-style curry fish tail braised in coconut curry and tamarind — a hearty, family-style zi char favourite made in a wok or pot.

Curry Fish Tail

About this dish

Curry Fish Tail is a beloved Singapore comfort dish you’ll find at zi char stalls, Malay eateries and home kitchens across the island — often ordered to share at kopitiam tables or cooked for weekend family dinners. The dish centres on meaty fish tail pieces simmered in a tangy coconut curry spiced with chilli, belacan and tamarind for that familiar sweet-sour balance many Singaporeans crave. It’s the sort of plate that turns up at neighbourhood gatherings in the heartlands, East Coast seafood dinners and festive spreads when families want something bold and communal.

The texture is a contrast of silky coconut-based sauce and flaky fish that falls off the bone; add-ons like brinjal (eggplant) and okra soak up the curry and make the dish even more satisfying. The flavour profile runs from aromatic (curry powder/rempah, curry leaves) to slightly spicy (fresh chilli padi or dried chilli) and rounded by tamarind’s sourness and a touch of sugar — think hawker-centre curry but tuned to your home kitchen taste. For busy cooks, the paste can be blitzed in a food processor and the sauce made ahead, then finished with fish just before serving.

Serve this as a family-style main with steamed jasmine rice or crusty roti prata to mop up the curry, and pair it with a simple achar or raw cucumber slices to cut through the richness. Whether you’re feeding a small group at an HDB flat or ordering extra rice for a late-night supper, Curry Fish Tail is classic Singaporean sharing food — loud, comforting and perfect for communal makan.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole fish tail (about 900–1,200 g total; e.g. snapper or red grouper tail), cut into 3–4 pieces
  • 1 tsp salt (for marinating fish)
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (for marinating fish)
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil or palm oil
  • 6–8 shallots, roughly chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 cm piece galangal or ginger, peeled and sliced
  • 3–4 dried red chillies (soaked) or 3 fresh red chillies, adjusted to taste
  • 1 tbsp belacan (shrimp paste), toasted (optional but authentic)
  • 1½ tbsp curry powder or 2 tbsp store-bought curry paste (adjust to preference)
  • 200 ml coconut milk (full-fat for richness)
  • 300 ml water or fish stock
  • 1 tbsp tamarind paste (asam jawa) dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water, or 1–2 tbsp fresh lime juice as alternative
  • 1 tsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar (palm sugar or caster sugar)
  • 4–6 curry leaves (optional) or 2 kaffir lime leaves, torn
  • 150 g brinjal / eggplant, cut into chunks
  • 100 g okra or long beans, trimmed (optional)
  • Fresh coriander leaves and sliced red chilli for garnish
  • Lime or calamansi wedges to serve

Step-by-Step Method

  1. Pat the fish tail pieces dry and rub with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp turmeric; set aside for 10–15 minutes while you prepare the paste.
  2. Blitz the shallots, garlic, galangal (or ginger), chillies and toasted belacan in a food processor with a splash of water to make a coarse rempah/paste. Scrape down sides as needed.
  3. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wok or heavy pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the rempah paste and fry, stirring, for 4–6 minutes until aromatic and the oil separates — reduce heat if the paste starts to brown too quickly.
  4. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 30 seconds to bloom the spices. Add curry leaves or torn kaffir lime leaves and mix well.
  5. Pour in 300 ml water (or fish stock) and 200 ml coconut milk, bring to a gentle simmer. Add tamarind liquid, light soy sauce and 1 tsp sugar; taste and adjust for sourness, salt and sweetness like at a zi char stall.
  6. Add the brinjal (eggplant) and okra to the simmering curry and cook for 4–6 minutes until they start to soften.
  7. Gently slide the marinated fish tail pieces into the curry, making sure they are mostly submerged. Reduce heat to low–medium and simmer gently for 8–12 minutes until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily; avoid vigorous boiling to keep the fish intact.
  8. If the sauce is too thin, increase the heat briefly to reduce; if too thick, add a little water. Adjust seasoning with more light soy, sugar or tamarind to balance flavours.
  9. Turn off the heat and finish with a squeeze of lime or calamansi, then scatter fresh coriander and sliced red chilli on top.
  10. Serve immediately family-style with hot steamed jasmine rice or roti prata to mop up the curry. Leftovers refrigerate well and flavours develop overnight.

Tips & Serving Ideas

  • Buy fresh fish tail from your local wet market or supermarkets like NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage or Sheng Siong; ask the fishmonger to cut into serving pieces.
  • Toast belacan briefly in a dry pan before using to deepen flavour; omit if you’re intolerant to shrimp paste but add extra fish sauce for umami.
  • When frying the rempah, keep medium heat and stir constantly — letting oil separate from the paste gives the curry depth like hawker stalls.
  • Simmer the fish gently on low heat so the flesh stays intact; over-boiling will break the tail into fragments.
  • Adjust spice level by reducing fresh chillies and skipping dried chilli flakes for less heat; Singapore chilli padi is very hot, so add sparingly.
  • Make the curry base a day ahead and refrigerate; reheat and add fresh fish just before serving for quicker weeknight cooking.
  • Leftover curry tastes great the next day — the flavours mellow and intensify, perfect for packing into lunchboxes with rice.

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