Fish curry is a spicy and yummy gravy that pairs well with white rice, Matta rice(link), idly & dosai(link). Fish is a good source of Protein and is also good for eye health as it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. It also has essential vitamins and minerals like Vitamin D, Iodine and Phosphorus. But fish lacks dietary fiber and so we have a tradition of pairing fish meal with spinach stir fry or spinach mash(link). Before diving into the Fish curry recipe, let me make a table of fish names in English and Tamil as I got many requests to post this. Some names are left blank, and I will fill in future, when I find the right name. Please feel free to comment any additions or corrections to amend this table.
Fish names in Tamil and English:
| English | Tamil |
|---|---|
| Sea bass, Bronzini/Bronzino | Koduvaa - கொடுவா |
| Pomfret, Pompano/Pompino | Vaaval - வாவல் |
| Red snapper | Sankaraa - சங்கரா |
| Red Mullet | Sennagara - செந்நகரை |
| Tilapia | Jilaepi kendai - ஜிலேபி கெண்டை |
| Sardines | Mathi, Chaala - மத்தி /சாளை |
| Smelt, Anchovies | Nethili - நெத்திலி |
| Shark | Suraa - சுறா |
| King Fish | Vanjaram - வஞ்சிரம் |
| Cat fish | Keluthi - கெளுத்தி |
| Cod | Pannaa - பண்ணா மீன் |
| Mackerel | Kaanaangeluthi - கானாங்கெளுத்தி |
| Ribbon/Belt fish | vaala meen - வாளை மீன் |
| Trout | ? |
| Hilsa | ? |
| Squid | Kanavaa - கணவாய் |
| Shrimp, Prawn | Eraal - இறால் |
| Lobster | Singi iraal - சிங்கி இறால் |
| Crab | Nandu - நண்டு |
| Mussels, Clams, Oysters | Chippi/Matti - சிப்பி/மட்டி |
Fish curry recipe
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 6
Ingredients
Base ingredient:
- Fish - 1 kg
To soak:
- Tamarind - 1 big lemon size
- Water - 1 cup
To temper:
- Sesame oil - 1 or 2 tbsp
- Mustard seeds - ¼ tsp
- Urad dal - ⅛ tsp
- Fenugreek seeds - ⅛ tsp
- Onion - 1 big or handful of small onions
- Garlic - 5 to 6(optional)
- Green chillies - 2 to 4
- Curry leaves - Few
- Tomato - 1 big, well ripened
Spices:
- Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
- Coriander powder - 3 tbsp
- Chilli powder - 2 tbsp
- Salt - 1 tbsp
To grind:
- Coconut - ½ cup(loosely packed)
- Small onions - 2 to 3 (optional)
- Peppercorns - 5 to 6 (optional)
To garnish (Optional):
- Powdered Fenugreek seeds (Roasted) - ¼ tsp
- Coriander leaves - few
- Curry leaves - few
Instructions
- First soak a big lemon sized tamarind in 1 cup hot water. I usually add tamarind to water and microwave for 1+30 minutes and keep aside.
- Wash fish with plain water first. Then add turmeric, rock salt, lemon juice and mix the fish well and scrape the fish against the bottom of the container(in which you are washing the fish) so that any dirt/scales stuck to the fish will be pushed out by the friction created by rubbing the fish coated with rock salt against the container.. Then wash twice with water. Drain water and keep aside.
- Use a wide-mouthed pan to make fish curry. Heat the pan and once it is dry, add 1 to 2 tbsp sesame oil.
- Once oil is hot, add mustard seeds.
- Once mustard seeds splutter, add urad dal.
- Once urad dal turns golden, add fenugreek seeds.
- Once fenugreek seeds slightly turn color, add chopped onion, crushed garlic, curry leaves and green chillies. Fry well.
- Once onions are fried, add chopped tomato and turmeric powder.
- Once tomatoes turn mushy, simmer and add coriander powder and chilli powder.
- Sauté as quick as possible and before it chars, add 3 cups water, 1 tbsp salt. Cook closed in medium-high flame for 10 minutes.
- To take tamarind extract, knead the tamarind well with fingers until it disperses well in the water. Strain the tamarind extract through your fingers and throw away the pulp and seeds.
- Add this tamarind extract to the gravy and again cook closed in medium-high flame for 10 minutes.
- Grind ½ cup(loosely packed) coconut with 2 to 3 small onions(optional) and few peppercorns(optional) to fine paste using required water.
- Add ground coconut to the curry. Rinse the mixie jar using ½ cup water and add it to the curry. Mix well and again cook closed in medium flame for 10 to 15 minutes or until desired gravy consistency is reached - neither too thick nor too watery.
- Check for salt and add more, if required.
- Add washed fish pieces to the gravy. Make sure to add by spreading all over the pan. After adding the fish, do not use ladle to mix the gravy as fish pieces might break. Cook closed in medium flame for 10 minutes.
- Open and add roasted and ground fenugreek seeds powder and gently mix with the curry without disturbing the fish pieces. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and freshly torn curry leaves. Switch off the stove and keep closed for at least half an hour to one hour.
Notes
1.Chilli powder can be replaced with any homemade gravy powder/Kuzhambu milagaai thool(link). In such case, reduce coriander powder to 1 tbsp as gravy powder already has coriander powder. But still, adding more coriander powder is to thicken the gravy.
2.Any fish variety will suit this curry recipe. Go for oily fish like Bronzini or Hilsa for more taste. Salmon too tastes good in this recipe.
3.Increase or decrease chilli powder as per your spice level. Pepper powder can be added at the end to increase the spiciness.
4.Adding fenugreek seeds powder at the end is optional but it elevates the aroma of the curry and also subsides bad odor from fish, if any. If you want to skip fenugreek seeds powder, then you shall increase fenugreek seeds to ¼ tsp, while tempering.
5.If you wish to avoid coconut, then grind 6 small onions and ½ big onion to a paste and add it once chopped onions are fried well. Sauté this onion paste until raw smell leaves and then add tomato. Add either coconut paste, or onions paste to give body to the gravy.
2.Any fish variety will suit this curry recipe. Go for oily fish like Bronzini or Hilsa for more taste. Salmon too tastes good in this recipe.
3.Increase or decrease chilli powder as per your spice level. Pepper powder can be added at the end to increase the spiciness.
4.Adding fenugreek seeds powder at the end is optional but it elevates the aroma of the curry and also subsides bad odor from fish, if any. If you want to skip fenugreek seeds powder, then you shall increase fenugreek seeds to ¼ tsp, while tempering.
5.If you wish to avoid coconut, then grind 6 small onions and ½ big onion to a paste and add it once chopped onions are fried well. Sauté this onion paste until raw smell leaves and then add tomato. Add either coconut paste, or onions paste to give body to the gravy.
Below is the delicious Hilsa fish curry made using this recipe. Click here to see the recipe for grilled Pomfret/Pompano fish. Click here for grilled Salmon kebab recipe.
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