Thenga Aracha Meen Curry| Fish Curry in Coconut Paste

Kerala cuisine is full of variety recepie and the point to be noted is that one particular recepie can be modified and made in different ways. Like say fish curry; it’s prepared in many different ways like using coconut paste, with pot tamarind,dry roasting coconut with spices and making paste of it,spicy red fish curry and so on. The list goes on. One such popular recepie is the one which I had made today.

The gravy is purely coconut paste with spices and tamarind pulp gives a tangy tint to the gravy and ripe tomatoes and drumsticks add one more flavour to this recepie.

Let’s checkout the detailed recepie below 👇

RECEPIE:

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 45 mins

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS:

Fish : 1/2 kg cut into pieces
Grated coconut: 1 n 1/2 cup
Dry red chillies: 3 to 4
Onions: 1 finely sliced
Tomatoes: 1 roughly chopped
Shallots: 7 to 8
Drumstick: 10 to 12 pieces
Ginger: 1 tsp crushed
Green chillies: 4 slit
Curry leaves: few
Tamarind: 1 lemon size
Fenugreek seeds: 1/ 4 tsp
Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Salt: for taste
Coconut oil: 4 tbsp

PREPARATION:

Grind together fresh grated coconut,pinch of fenugreek seeds,shallots,dry red chillies, turmeric powder and Red Chilli Powder with enough water into fine paste.
Heat oil in Meenchatti / earthern wok, add sliced onions,green chillies and crushed ginger. Saute till onions turns soft and translucent.
Add the ground coconut paste and salt and cover and cook for 5 to 7 mins.
Add drumsticks and chopped tomatoes and cook for another 5 mins.
Soak a lemon size tamarind in warm water and add this to the gravy. Add enough water to adjust the consistency.
Cover and cook. When it starts boiling add in the fish pieces.
Cook on high flame for 5 to 7 mins and simmer on medium to low flame for 15 to 20 mins.
Switch off the flame and for tempering heat oil in a pan,add mustard seeds,let it splutter. Add finely chopped shallots and curry leaves and saute till the onions turn brown.
Pour this on the fish gravy . Keep it covered for sometime before serving.

N.B :

Fish curry tastes better when made in Meenchatti/ earthern wok.
You can add unripe mangoes or dried mangoes to the gravy.
Prepare it few hours before and keep it aside,this gives more flavour and taste to the gravy.