Kerala Fish Curry / Kerala Meen Curry

Cuisine style ~ Kerala

Servings ~ 3 Adults
I am sharing a Meen(Fish) curry recipe which my mother used to make back at home. She only uses Kodumpuli for Meen curry. But i guess in Southern Kerala, especially in Thiruvanthapuram people use Tamarind instead of Kodumpuli. My husband is from Thiruvanthapuram,and my M I L always use tamarind. I had a tough time adjusting with the taste. But gradually i started loving it. I am person who love spicy food.So I mostly prepare this recipe at home. You can have Meen curry with Rice & Kappa. I even love having Meen curry with "Dosa".

Ingredients

Fish ~ 1 lb ( 450 gram )

Chopped Shallots ( Kochu Ulli ) ~ 5-7 Nos

Chopped Garlic ~ 1 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder ~ 1 tsp

Chilly Powder ~ 3 tsp

Turmeric powder ~ 1/4 tsp

Fenugreek powder ( uluva ) ~ 2 pinch

Fennel powder ( Perumjeerakam ) ~ 2 pinch

Curry leaves ~ 1 stem

Kudampuli ~ 4 Nos

Water ~ 1 cup

Salt to taste

Oil ~ 3 tbsp

Mustard seeds
Thick coconut milk ~ 1/2 cup (Optional)

Preparation

First soak Kudampuli in water.
Wash and cut the fish to medium size pieces.
Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
When the mustard seeds starts to crackle, add chopped shallots & chopped garlic and saute till it become slightly brown in color.
Lower the flame and add Coriander powder, Chilly powder, Turmeric powder, Fenugreek powder, Fennel powder and stir for less than a minute till the powder become almost dark red in color.
Add 1 cup of water (NB: There should be enough water to cover the fish pieces) along with kudampuli.
When the water starts boiling, lower the flame and add the fish pieces along with salt.
Close the pan with a lid and cook for 15 minutes.
Then add thick coconut milk and cook for another 5 minutes without closing the pan with the lid. ( This step is optional )
Finally add curry leaves and remove from the flame.