Meen Mulakittathu | Kerala Fish Curry with Kudampuli/Gambojee | Meen Vevichathu | Ayala Fish Curry with Kudampuli

I have had the privilege to taste many yummy fish curries in my life. Be it my mom, grandma, mom-in-law, hubby's aunt, uncle.. All of them make yummilicious fish curries. And for a Malayali, it is a staple as well as pride to make the perfect hot, fiery, tangy and delicious fish curry. Just a spoonful of this perfectly made fish curry is enough for you to eat with scoopfuls of matta rice. Accompany it with some fresh fish fry, boy I tell you, it makes your day and gets you set for an afternoon siesta ;)  This particular fish curry goes well with matta rice but some have it with puttu, idiyappam as well as idly :) But I prefer it with rice the most. There are many ways in which you can make Kerala style fish curry.. Easy Malabar style fish curry with coconut, Fish curry without coconut, yet another fish curry with coconut and so on. For all these recipes I use normal tamarind.

It was slightly difficult for me to get that perfect balanced taste (you call that 'chodi' in Malayalam :)) with this recipe. And hence this was one recipe that I took sometime to master. The base for all the recipes that I saw - both online on blogs and my relatives preparing was more or less the same. The right taste is always in the amount of red chilly powder and salt that you use. I have tried quite a handful of recipes from many blogs and I found the perfect measurements that suited my family's tastebuds here. This is a foolproof recipe and it never has failed me :) And let me tell you one more thing. It is always better to prepare this gravy at least 2 hours prior to serving. The more it stands the better. The flavours sink in to the fish and tastes awesome, to be precise, the next day :) So do make them and let me know how you liked them!

Recipe Source: Here

Serves: 3-4 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 25 mins

I Used:

Fish (I used Ayala/Mackerel)	-	500 gm (3 medium sized fish cut into 3 pieces each)
Gambojee/Kokum/Kudampuli	-	4 pieces soaked in ¼ cup of water
Coconut Oil	-	2 tbsp + 1 tsp
Shallots	-	6-8 nos - sliced
Garlic	-	4-6 nos - sliced or chopped
Ginger	-	A 2 inch piece - sliced or chopped
Green Chilly	-	1 no - slit
Curry leaves	-	2 sprigs
Red Chilly powder	-	3 tbsp (Kashmiri or normal)
Coriander powder	-	1 tbsp
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Pepper powder	-	½ tsp
Fenugreek powder (optional)	-	¼ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed
Water	-	1 cup

The Way:

1. Rinse the tamarind pieces in water to remove any dirt on them. Then soak them in ¼ cup of water

2. Take all the masala powders - red chilly powder (spice mentioned is a bit on the hotter side, adjust as needed), coriander powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder and fenugreek powder in a small plate or bowl. Mix them with 2 tbsp of water and keep aside

3. Peel and slice the shallots, garlic and ginger and keep ready. Ginger and garlic can be sliced or chopped. Slit the green chillies and keep aside

4. In a earthen pan (or a kadai or pan but preferably an earthen pot as it enhances the flavour of the gravy) heat the coconut oil

5. Now add the shallots, ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute

6. Add 1 sprig of curry leaves too

7. Saute for 3-4 minutes till they turn translucent and slowly start to change colour. No need to make them brown

8. Now add the prepared masala paste and saute on low flame for 3-4 minutes till the raw smell of the masala goes. You can add the powders directly without making into a paste, but then much caution is needed while sauteeing them. They can easily get burnt and change the taste and colour of the gravy

9. The colour attained now will determine the colour of the gravy. So if you want them to be really deep in colour saute them for a tad bit longer on the minimum flame available. And take care not to get the masalas burnt. It simply translates to 'Do not leave the dish unattended at this point'

10. When the raw smell is gone, add the soaked tamarind along with the water. Further add 1 more cup of water (adjust the quantity of water according to the consistency that is needed. Ideally make sure that the fish pieces are immersed in the gravy, that's the quantity of water that you will need) and give a nice stir and allow it to boil

11. Once the gravy starts boiling, add the cleaned fish pieces to it. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. If the water added is less then you might want to check in between that the fish pieces or the gravy is not burnt or stuck at the bottom of the pan

12. Uncover the pan and check for salt and add if needed. If you feel the gravy is watery then cook uncovered till it thickens to the desired consistency

13. After adding the fish pieces do not use a spoon or spatula to stir the gravy. Gently hold the pan on both sides and swirl them

14. Finally add 1 sprig of curry leaves and a tsp of coconut oil and give a gentle swirl. Close the pan and allow it to rest for some time before serving. Best served after at least 2 hours. The more you allow it to rest it the more tastier it becomes :)

Serve with matta rice or mashed or boiled tapioca.

Cheers,

Chitz

Chemmeen Curry | Konju curry | Malabar Style Chemmeen Kootan | Kerala Style Prawns Curry | Shrimp Coconut Curry

Many of you had loved this shrimp gravy when I had posted in Instagram and so I am here without much delay (maybe a little) with it's recipe. It is a classic preparation by my in laws especially Deepak's aunt.. It is very simple to make especially if you have some grated coconut and cleaned shrimps in hand. And it uses just red chilly powder for masala and the taste is brought about with the balance of tamarind and red chilly powder and of course the coconut. 

The measurements given here are just guidelines (this is exactly what I use) but they differ from family to family. So taste, adjust, taste, adjust. That's how you roll in the kitchen right :) And do not go stingy on the coconut. If you do, it does compromise the taste. Been there, done that. So do mark my words :) And when you try out this recipe, do let me know how you liked it. Now off to the recipe..

Recipe Source: Mil

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 40 minutes

Serves : 3-4 persons 

I Used:

Chemmeen/Prawns	-	12-15 (big ones) (almost 250 gm before de-shelling)
Shallots	-	4-5 nos (sliced)
Garlic	-	3-4 big ones (chopped)
Ginger	-	A 2 inch piece(chopped)
Green Chilly	-	2 nos
Tomato	-	1 medium sized one (chopped)
Red Chilly powder	-	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Tamarind	-	A lemon sized
Grated Coconut	-	¾ cup
Salt	-	As needed
Coconut Oil	-	3-4 tbsp
Curry leaves	-	2 sprigs

The Way:

1. Clean the prawns (remove the shell and de-vein them) and rinse well in water

2. Soak tamarind in 1 cup of warm water for 20-30 minutes. Extract the pulp and keep aside

3. Grind the grated coconut to a smooth paste with water and keep aside 

4. In an earthen pot (manchatti) or a pan, heat 3 tbsp coconut oil. Add chopped ginger, garlic and slit green chillies and saute

5. When they start to turn brown in colour, add the sliced shallots and saute

6. When they turn start to turn golden, add chopped tomatoes and saute. The tomatoes should become mushy

7. When the tomatoes turn mushy and the masala seems to have reduced add in the dry powders - red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt. I use the really hot variety of red hilly powder here and hence adding only 1 tsp. Suit yourself according to your powder and taste buds

8. Saute them for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes off. Then add the tamarind water to it

9. Allow it to come to a boil. Then reduce the flame and add the prawns. Now allow the prawns to cook which would take around 12-15 minutes

10. When the prawns are cooked add the coconut paste and give a stir. Check the consistency of gravy. If it is too thick add little more water. Also check salt and hotness. If they are less add more salt or red chilly powder accordingly

11. Let the gravy come to a boil. Then add 1 tbsp coconut oil and the curry leaves and gently swirl the pan and switch off the flame

Serve with matta rice and a side dish of your choice. I served with aviyal !

Cheers,

Chitz

Kerala Style Meen Varuthathu | Meen Fry | Kerala Style Fish Fry

Fish fry ! Ahh, I love it the most with sambar rice and it was one of my most favourite lunch box menu during my school days. I still love fish fry the most with sambar rice though now we mostly go for fish curry - fish fry combos as that is Deeps' favourite. And since it is just the two of us, we try to finish it soon as we are not very great fans of freezing the fish and prefer to eat it as fresh as possible ! Now Dhruv has also joined the gang and lovvvvves fish. He knows it by 'mi-mi' and would immediately open his mouth when we say 'Its mi-mi' ;)

Coming to the recipe, I learned it from my mil and it's a typical Kerala style masala as in it has no coriander powder. Kerala cuisine uses less coriander powder compared to Tamil cuisine. Also this has only garlic and no ginger. Usually my mil uses pepper mostly for fish that has more of that 'fishy' smell like sardines or mackerel. She does not use it with big fishes like salmon or pomfret. But I use it with all the fishes as I like that peppery zing in the masala ! Mostly I grind the masala in bulk and keep it in fridge. As and when needed, I add the powders and marinate the fish and fry. This way I can also grind the shallots without adding water at all. Addition of water makes the masala loose and will not coat properly to the fish pieces and also you will not get the crispy outer layer on the fried fish. So that's about this fish fry. Now off to the recipe.. 

Recipe Source: Amma

Serves: 2 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Marination time : 45 minutes 

Cooking Time: 12-15 minutes

I Used:

Fish	-	200 gms
Small Onions/Shallots	-	10 nos
Garlic	-	5 cloves
Peppercorns	-	1 tsp
Red Chilly powder	-	2 tsp
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As needed
Oil	-	To fry

The Way:

1. Clean the fish and cut into desirable pieces for frying 

2. Peel the shallots and garlic. Grind together the shallots, garlic and peppercorns to a smooth paste. Do not add water. Adding water will make the masala loose and will not coat properly to the fish pieces

3. Now add the red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt to the ground paste and mix well. 

4. Now coat each and every fish piece with this masala evenly on both sides. Marinate them for half an hour to 45 minutes

5. Heat oil in a pan. I normally shallow fry the pieces. If preferred it can be deep fried also

6. Layer the fish pieces when the oil is hot. Fry the fish on low or medium flame and take care that it is not burnt

7. After 2-3 minutes, flip over the fish and cook on the other side, You can flip the fish twice or thrice and cook so that they are crispy on the outside and does not get burnt

Serve hot with rice and fish gravy !

Cheers,

Chitz

Malabar Style Meen Curry | North Kerala Fish Curry | Kerala Fish Gravy without coconut

North Kerala Style Sardine Fish cooked with pounded shallots, tomatoes and tamarind pulp

This is one gravy that is a family favorite and is devoured by all very happily especially with kappa (tapioca). Now I'm wondering why it took so long for me to post it here :) Maybe I was waiting for a manchatti (earthen vessel) to get a decent & authentic looking pic. Now that is another way of flaunting my new manchatti ;) We were planning to buy one for a long time but the frequent location changes and the difficulty of finding a good potter and a vessel delayed it. And finally it's here !

Ad back to the recipe, this is a hot and tangy fish curry that can be had with rice (esp. matta) and kappa puzhungiyathu (boiled and mashed tapioca) and even idly (I like that combo but not Deeps ;)) The chilly and tamarind ratio that I have used here is in accordance with the taste buds of the family. You can always adjust them to suit your preferences. This recipe does not call for coconut. Do try out and let me know how it turned out !

Recipe Source: Amma

Serves: 3-4 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I Used:

Fish (I used sardines)	-	½ kg
Small Onions/Shallots	-	25-30 nos (Mine were really small)
Tomato	-	1 no
Tamarind	-	A goosberry sized
Ginger	-	An inch piece
Garlic	-	4-5 nos
Red Chilly powder	-	2 tbsp
Coriander powder	-	1 tbsp
Turmeric powder	-	1 tsp
Coconut Oil	-	2-3 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Fenugreek seeds	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed
Curry leaves	-	A sprig

The Way:

1. Clean the fish and cut them into small pieces as required. Add little salt and turmeric powder and keep aside 

2. Soak tamarind in 1.5 - 2 cups of warm water and leave aside for 15-20 minutes. After that extract the pulp out of it and keep aside

3. Peel the shallots, ginger and garlic. Chop the ginger roughly to small pieces. Grind the shallots, ginger and garlic coarsely in a mixer. Just a pulse or two is sufficient. Do not make a paste.

4. Chop the tomatoes to 6-8 pieces. Similar to the shallots, grind them also coarsely in a mixer

5. In a bowl, take the red chilly powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Add 2-3 tbsp water and make a paste and keep aside.

6. In an earthen vessel/kadai/pan, heat the coconut oil. Splutter mustard and fenugreek. Take care not to burn. 

7. Now add the coarsely ground shallots and salt and saute for 3-4 minutes till they turn slightly brown

8. Now add the masala paste and saute. Let the raw smell of the masala go away. Saute occasionally so that it does not get burnt

9. Once done add the coarsely ground tomatoes and saute. Let it cook for around 2-3 minutes

10. Then add the curry leaves. And then the tamarind pulp. Check salt and add if required

11. Let it come to a boil. Now reduce the flame and add the fish pieces. Let it cook for about 10-12 minutes (as required for the fish) and the gravy reduces to a thick consistency as required. Lastly add a tbsp of coconut oil and remove from flame 

Serve with rice, pappad and fish fry ! 

Cheers,

Chitz

Thenga Aracha Meen Curry | Malabar Style Meen Curry | Easy Kerala Style Fish Curry

Fish in tamarind pulp & coconut-shallot paste

Most of the times the simplest of the recipes are the toughest ! Agree? With the minimum of ingredients we have to bring about the best flavor, aroma & looks.. I would say someone who can prepare a simple recipe with ultimate taste has mastered the culinary art ;) Don't you feel so?  Coz the addition of spices & herbs or a heavy seasoning can always bring about the best results. This recipe is definitely one of that kind. In all, just 2 or 3 supporting characters along with the hero 'fish' & the movie is a block buster hit :) 

 This is one of the masterpieces of my Mil. Every time she prepares this, we definitely have an extra helping of rice. Kuthari Choru, Theenga aracha meen curry, meen varuthathu & pappadam. If this is the menu for lunch, then that day an afternoon nap is a must, coz of the heaviness of the tummy & lightness of the brain ! I definitely have had my bad days trying to recreate that taste, but this time I was a winner. So without much ado, onto the recipe.. 

Recipe Source: Mil

Serves: 2 persons

I Took: 30 minutes

I Used:

Fish	-	250 gm
Tomato	-	1 no - medium sized - cut into 8
Tamarind	-	A medium lemon sized
Grated Coconut	-	½ cup
Shallots	-	10-12 no
Green Chilly	-	2 no
Ginger	-	2 inch piece
Red Chilly powder	-	2 tsp
Turmeric powder	-	1 tsp
Curry leaves	-	A sprig
Oil	-	2 tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Soak tamarind in ¼ cup water for 15-20 minutes. Then extract the pulp from the tamarind 
2. Clean the fish & cut them into medium sized pieces
3. Grind together coconut & shallots (4-6 nos) with 2 tbsp water, to a smooth paste & keep aside
4. In a pan/earthen vessel (manchatti) mix together tamarind pulp, tomato, slit green chilly, chopped ginger, red chilly powder & turmeric powder along with ½ -1 cup of water. Adjust water to suit your needs of the gravy
5. Cook this over medium flame till it starts to boil 
6. Now add the fish pieces and cook until the fish pieces are done & the gravy becomes thick (almost reaches your desired consistency)  
7. Add the ground coconut paste & curry leaves and mix well & cook for a minute or two until the coconut paste mixes well & the raw smell of the coconut goes away
8. In another pan, heat oil. Add the remaining sliced shallots & saute till they turn golden brown in color
9. Add this to the fish gravy. Serve warm with steamed rice !

Cheers,

Chitz

Unakka Chemmeen Curry | Dried Shrimp Curry | Dried Prawn Curry

Dried Shrimps/Prawns cooked in tamarind extract & coconut sauce

It's been a while since I posted some non-veg recipes. So when I was going through the draft pics, this one grabbed my attention. What else can be termed as the comfort food of Indians living abroad. It's none other than the dried fish. The fresh or processed fish that you get in many of the countries will not have the taste of the fish that we get or eat in India. No complaints here, as each place has it's own unique cuisine coz of the taste & type of the ingredients that it owns !! And hence the Indian curry or gravy that we prepare here, will also differ in taste to a small extent. 

And that's where the dried fish becomes the hero. On your way back from vacation, neatly pack up some dried fish and it becomes the savior :) It definitely guarantees you the authentic flavor & aroma that you always enjoy back at home !! So without any further pep talk, let's dive into the recipe..

Other recipes with Dried Shrimps:

Unakka Chemmeen Chammanthi Podi | Dried Shrimp Chutney powder
Unakka Chemmeen Roast | Dried Shrimp Fry

Unakka Chemmeen Maanga Curry | Kerala Style Dried Shrimp Raw Mango Curry

Recipe Source: Mil

Serves: 2 persons

I Took: 40 minutes

I Used:

Unakka Chemmen/Dry Shrimps	-	¼ cup
Tomato	-	1 no - medium sized
Tamarind	-	A big goosebery size
Green Chilly	-	2 nos
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

To Roast & Grind:

Oil	-	1 tsp
Grated Coconut	-	¼ cup
Shallots	-	5-6 nos
Red Chilly powder	-	1 tsp
Coriander powder	-	2 tsp

To Temper:

Oil	-	1 tsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Shallots	-	3-4 nos
Curry leaves	-	A sprig

The Way:

1. Wash & clean the dried shrimps with a little turmeric powder & keep aside
2. Soak tamarind in warm water for 20 minutes & extract the pulp out of it
3. In a pan heat 1 tsp of oil. Add the ingredients under 'To Roast & Grind' & saute on medium fire until it turns slight brown in color
4. Allow it to cool. Add 2-3 tbsp water & grind them to a paste
5. In another pan add the tamarind extract, chopped tomatoes, slit green chilly,  turmeric powder, cleaned shrimp & salt and cook for 10-15 minutes or until it's done
6. Adjust salt as the dried shrimp will already have some in it
7. Add the ground paste to the gravy and mix well. Cook in low flame for 5 minutes
8. Meanwhile heat 1 tsp of oil in the first pan. Splutter mustard. Add shallots & curry leaves and saute till the shallots turn golden brown. Take care not to burn
9. Add this tempering to the gravy, when done
10. Remove from flame and serve with steamed rice

Cheers,

Chitz