Step 1: Prepare Mussels

Clean the mussels thoroughly. Set aside to keep them fresh until ready to cook.

Step 2: Sauté Aromatics

Chop the onion and garlic. Heat cooking oil in a pot and sauté the chopped onion and garlic until softened.

Step 3: Toast and Grind Spices

In a separate small pot, toast whole coriander and cumin seeds over medium heat until fragrant. Transfer the toasted spices to a mortar and pestle and grind them into a powder.

Step 4: Build the Curry Sauce

Add canned chopped tomatoes to the pot with sautéed aromatics. Stir well. Incorporate the ground spices into the tomato base. Cook the sauce down to deepen its flavors.

Step 5: Adjust Sauce Flavor

Add white wine to the curry sauce and continue cooking. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt flakes, sugar, and lemon juice to achieve a balanced sweet, sour, and salty profile.

Step 6: Cook Mussels

In the final minutes of cooking, add the cleaned mussels to the simmering curry sauce. Cover the pot and steam the mussels until they open up, which takes approximately 3 minutes.

Step 7: Garnish and Plate

Stir fresh spinach leaves into the mussels and sauce. Deep-fry fresh curry leaves until crispy. Plate the tomato curry mussels and garnish with the crispy curry leaves.

• Cook mussels for only about 3 minutes to prevent them from becoming tough.

• Toast whole spices before grinding to enhance their aroma and flavor.

• Ensure the curry sauce is well-cooked down to develop a rich, deep flavor.

• Balance the sweet, sour, and salty elements of the curry for a harmonious taste.

• Deep-fry curry leaves for a crispy garnish.