Don’t be scared by seeing the red colour of this dish. It is spicy and tangy, but you can reduce the heat by reducing the amount of green chillies or by removing the seeds and the veins of the green chillis.. and for the red colour of course it comes from the red chilli powder.. you can substitute it with papparika or Kashmiri chilli powder.

I am using Spanish Mackerel but you can use almost any fleshy ones.. and its best with fresh Sardines..

Preparation time: 15 mts

Cooking time: 20 mts

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients: 

  • Fish – 500 gms(boned or fillet, cut into medium size pieces)
  • Garlic – 5(length wise)
  • Ginger – 1″ (length wise)
  • Shallots – 8-9(small)
  • Green chilli – 3-4(slit in the middle half way to control the heat)
  • Chilli powder – 2 tsp
  • Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Gambooge / Meen puli  – 3 pieces (alternately you can use 1/2 tsp tamarind pulp, but the taste of the curry will be slight different)
  • Water – 2cups
  • Curry leaves – 2 sticks
  • Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Coconut oil – 3tsp (you can use any veg. oil as well)

Method: 

  1. Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water
  2. Heat oil in a clay pot (you can use any vessel except iron) and add fenugreek seeds. When its slightly roasted saute ginger,garlic and chilli till it gets soft.
  3. Add curry leaves
  4. Now its the time to add in the dry spices, reduce the heat to low and carefully roast chilli,coriander and turmeric powder
  5. Strain the tamarind water and add, increase the heat to medium high and add the remaining water too
  6. Let the water boil for 5 minutes before adding the fish.
  7. Reduce the heat to low again and cook the fish for 10 more minutes.
  8. Allow the gravy to slightly thicken.

Tip:

  • The taste of this curry really depends on how patiently you roast the dry spices.
  • You can replace fresh tamarind with tamarind pulp.
  • You have to be careful choosing your green chillies too.