This recipe of fish curry is a common recipe in the coastal region of Southern India, which includes coastal areas of Kerala, Karnataka, and Goa. Maybe just slight changes here and there in spices, but this recipe is more of a Mangalorean specialty.
Nothing for me is more comforting than a bowl of freshly steamed rice topped with authentic and aromatic fish curry. In the place where I belong, Fish Curry is almost considered to be a sacred food. By ‘sacred’ I mean, no one is allowed to mess with it. It has to be that ‘perfect’ curry that only the elder ladies of the family take the privilege to prepare. Making a good fish curry is considered to be an art, and still, every household has its own special taste. The best fish curry which I always relish is by my mother and my mother-in-law and of course, the excellent one prepared by my grandmother.
Coastal Fish Curry
Authentic Indian style fish curry with a blend of coconut and spices, served hot with freshly steamed rice.
Ingredients
- 500 grams King Fish Surmai or any big fish of your choice
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 cup thick extract fresh coconut milk OR 1 cup warm water + 3 tablespoon coconut milk powder
- 4 tablespoon cooking oil or coconut oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
For Curry Tadka:
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 small green chilies
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 piece of ginger sliced 1 inch long
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
For Curry Masala:
- ¾ cup fresh coconut
- 10 dry red chilies medium spicy
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds methi seeds
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 5 curry leaves
- 1 green chili
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp OR 3/4 cup tamarind soaked water
Instructions
- Cut and clean the fish pieces and keep aside.
Fish Curry Masala:
- Grind the coconut into a very fine paste by adding a few drops of water at a time.
- Heat a pan, add 1 tbsp oil, and roast – 10 dry red chilies (medium spicy), 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp whole cumin, 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, and 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) for 2 to 3 minutes on low flame.
- Then add chopped garlic, ginger, green chili, and chopped onion. Roast all of them together for 1 more minute on medium flame. Cool and transfer to a grinding jar along with ground coconut paste and tamarind pulp.Grind the masala into a fine paste by adding little water as needed. This will take several rounds of grinding, as you need to grind it to a super smooth and fine paste.
- Heat a saucepan with 3 tbsp of cooking oil. Add the fish curry masala, salt, chopped tomato, and 3 cups of water (approx). Let it boil slowly and cook on low flame for 10 minutes.
- Once the masala is cooked and the raw smell disappears, taste and check the salt and also the sourness in the curry. If you want more spicy then add extra green chilies and also if needed add extra tamarind pulp.
- Adjust the consistency of the curry by adding some water if it is too thick and let it boil again. Now add fish pieces one by one.
- Do not stir too much with the ladle, as it might break the fish. Just rotate the saucepan gently to stir. Place the lid and cook on low to medium flame for 5 to 7 minutes or until the fish is almost done.
- Finally, add coconut milk to the boiling curry and cook for 2 minutes on low flame. Remove from heat and keep warm.
Curry Tadka:
- In a separate pan, heat 2 tbsp of coconut oil (or cooking oil). Fry sliced onion till soft and light pink, then add curry leaves, chopped ginger, and green chilies. Saute for a few seconds on high heat and add the whole tadka to the fish curry.
- Serve hot with steamed rice.
If you have any queries regarding the recipe, do mention them in the comments section and I shall get back to you.
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