Fish Masala is one of my favourite recipes passed on to me by my mother-in-law, who learned it from her mother in India.

My mother-in-law was born in India. She got married at a tender age of 14. During those days, once the girls reach puberty, they had to stay home. My mother-in-law was the same – she was also not allowed to go to school, and had to stay at home to learn house-keeping skills like cooking, cleaning and washing.

This Fish Masala recipe is well known in India. According to my mother-in-law, every household would cook fish this way using desiccated coconut since coconut was readily available.

An interesting fact – every part of the coconut tree has a beneficial trait. The milk and oil derived from the pulp/kennel are used mainly in Indian cooking. The desiccated coconut is also used in dishes like my mother-in-law’s famous Fish Masala. Even the leaves are used as decorations during weddings and special functions.

Preparing this dish was a tedious affair in the olden days. My mother-in-law had to grind all the spices by hand using a stone grinder. It was hard work for a young girl!

Now, life has become much easier in India and Singapore ever since they invented the electric grinder. All the ingredients can be whipped up in an instant. All it takes is to turn the knob and everything will be well-grounded and blended.

With modern equipment and appliances, it is easy to forget the hard work put in by our parents and grandparents in those days, as we whizz through cooking much more easily and quicker these days. It is worth noting down the story behind this favourite dish of mine on My Singapore Food to remind generations to come not to take things for granted!