Preparation Time : 30 minutes
Cooking Time : 25 to 30 minutes
Serving : 6 members
Description
Fish curry. Yes i know, i have already posted a fish curry recipe (that’s fusion fish curry of mallu + Tamil). This is a typical Tamil style fish curry, recipe source chef dhamu. (when i attended his cooking classes recently). Travel to any state of india and the local cuisine will have several fish curries innate to that region. The best part of this fish curry is there is no coconut used and it tastes goes with a slight sweet element in a savoury dish which heightens the flavours and creates a balance.My previous posts for the past week were filled with desserts and mock tails, (the on going heat of summer at my place is just not letting me think of non – veg) did think should post a non – veg dish tomorrow, by then sunjay vaidya(follower of saute, fry n bake) messaged me asking me to post something related to beef, meat, chicken or fish. Fish, always brings memories of me in Palghat as a kid going to a near by shallow stream to have a bath (very rarely)during my holidays, Our battalion of cousins accompanied with our maid at home as our body guard. We used to do fishing with our towels by holding the corners of the towel and lowering the towel into shallow crystal clear stream with all the fish visible in the water, lift the towel when some fish (tiny ones) are above the towel. Immediately transfer it into a bottle of water and take it home. Years later after marriage when my kids were little, we went to my co-sisters rubber estate near nagarcovil were there was a similar stream (more rocky).As habits are hard to die, i did fishing with the towel, this time with my sister-in-law on the other side of the towel. The fish in the estate were so clever that nothing was being caught by us. I saw a huge head of a fish peeping out near a rock. So silently my sister-in-law and myself went and just lowered the towel. A long huge snake just jumped out of water,spinning and curling itself up above the water and towel.All of us (a gang of 15 people)just ran out of the stream shouting and howling. Even till date my kids tease me saying mom is really good at fishing snakes.
Ingredients
Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Gingely oil ( nalla ennai ) | 5 tablespoons |
| Vengaya vadagam | 4 crushed , ( these are small onion flitters made with urad dhal and dried out in the sun , easily available at super markets and department stores all around Tamil Nadu ) |
| Mustard seeds | 1/2 teaspoon |
| Dry red chillies | 2 torn |
| Curry leaves | few |
| Fish | 1/2 kg cleaned |
| Tamarind pulp | of 2 lemon sized balls |
| Turmeric powder | 1/4 teaspoon |
| Chilli powder | 2 tablespoons |
| Coriander powder | 3 tablespoons |
| Green chillies | 2 slit |
| Small onions | 1/2 hand full crushed + one hand full chopped |
| Garlic | 6 flakes whole |
| Tomato | 2 big chopped |
| Salt | to taste |
| Jaggery | a small piece |
| Coriander leaves | few chopped |
| Curry leaves | few crushed to garnish |
Method
- Grind coriander powder , chilli powder and turmeric powder to a smooth paste . marinate cleaned fish in 1/4 of the ground masala paste along with salt to taste .
- Add 3 cups water to the tamarind pulp and mix the remaining masala paste , along with salt to taste and set aside . Heat gingely oil in a mud pot .
- Add mustard seeds , dry chillies , curry leaves , crushed small onions , garlic and vengaya vadagam . Once the mustard seeds splutter and onions are crisp , add green chillies , chopped small onions and tomatoes .
- Fry till it gets a thick gravy consistency and oil floats on top . Pour the tamarind masala water over and bring to boil covered with a lid . Once the green chillies are cooked , raw smell goes and oil floats on top , drop the marinated fish .
- Cook for 4 – to 5 minutes . Once the fish is cooked simmer the flame and add the jaggery . Mix gently making sure the fish does not break and the jaggery dissolves into the gravy . Taste and adjust .
- Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves and crushed curry leaves . Best served with white boiled rice or piping hot idlis .
