Sri Lankan Sour Fish Curry

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1. 1Step 1: Rinse the goraka, put it in a small pan with 125 ml of the water and simmer over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the pieces are soft.
2. 2Step 2: Grind or pound the goraka with the pepper, chilli powder, garlic and salt, adding the goraka cooking water a little at a time, to a thick, dark paste. Taste it: it should be sharply sour, peppery and well salted.
3. 3Step 3: Rub the paste over every piece of fish and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
4. 4Step 4: Oil a clay pot or heavy-based pan and line the base with the banana leaf, if using. Scatter in half the curry leaves, lay the fish in a single layer, spread any remaining paste on top and add the rest of the curry leaves, the cinnamon and the pandan.
5. 5Step 5: Rinse the paste bowl with the remaining 125 ml water and pour it around the fish. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then shake the pot gently so the pieces do not stick. Do not stir.
6. 6Step 6: Turn the heat to low and cook uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, shaking the pot now and then and turning the pieces once with a spoon, until almost all the liquid has gone.
7. 7Step 7: Keep the pot on the lowest heat for a further 5 to 10 minutes, until the paste clings to the fish and the pieces are dark grey to black at the edges. Take care not to scorch the base.
8. 8Step 8: Take the pot off the heat and let the fish cool completely in the pot before serving or storing.