Sunday, January 06, 2008

Varutharacha meen curry - fried and ground fish curry

I was hunting for the perfect accompaniment to go with kerala appams(rice pancakes that look like mini UFO's turned upside down :D). I called up mom immediately and this is the recipe she gave me. My mom is even worse than me when it comes to giving the measurements n also the ingredients :( but thankfully this time i did remember exactly how much i added

In a frying pan, heat 1-2 tsp of oil (coconut oil), fry around 1/2 cup of dessicated or freshly grated coconut. When the coconut starts changing color, add 3-4 peeled pearl onions or shallots. Fry for a minute taking care that the coconut is not burning and stirring continuously. Reduce the heat to low and add 3 tbsps of coriander, 2 tbsp of chilli powder. stir in and take off the heat immediately. Grind this into a smooth paste once its cooled.

In a saucepan or meen chatti(if ur the lucky people who have one), add the ground spicepaste, 2-3 cups of water and some kudampuli(fish tamarind) soaked in water. I normally use just one piece of kudampuli as it can be very overpowering. You can substitute this with tamarind paste or pulp soaked in water. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and add the cleaned and washed fish pieces (250-300 gms cut into small pieces). I used a firm fish called KingKlip, you may use small fishes like mackerel, sardines etc or even pomfret king fish etc.. Let the mixture simmer for atleast 15-20 minutes till the gravy thickens. Add salt to taste.

Separately fry some finely sliced pearl onions/shallots preferably in 2-3 tbsp of coconut oil for the authentic taste, add fenugreek powder and curry leaves. Add this to the fish curry and let the curry rest for atleast 15-20 minutes before serving. The longer the curry rests, the better it taste. Enjoy with hot steaming appams or plain rice.


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