“Sindhi” refers to a group of people who had to leave their home town of Sindh in Pakistan upon the partition of India. Growing up, many of my Indian friends were Sindhi, so I had many occasions to eat their food. Like all Indians, they love good food but they also love to entertain – and do so very well. Their tables are always laden with more than a handful of dishes, all a little different from other regional food. Yet this koak palla dish is one I have missed and only just learned about recently. The Sindhi people use palla fish, an oily, meaty river fish with thick flesh. I like butterflied whole fish and have tried it with gurnard and sea bream, but also with halibut steaks. I have written the recipe for one fish so you can scale it up for however many you want to cook. Here I have used fillets of fish which are a good option for guests who might feel a little squeamish with whole fish and fish bones.