Coastal Red Fish Curry
A bright red fish curry with the tang of vinegar and the aroma of curry leaves.
Ingredients
- 600 g seer fish cleaned and cut into 1-inch, thick slices
- 10-15 shallots or sambaar onions peeled and sliced
- ¾ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (optional)
- 10 fresh curry leaves
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- Salt
For the red masala
- 6 dried Kashmiri red chillies soaked in a little warm water
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli power (instead of whole chillies)
- 50 g desiccated coconut
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- ⅙ tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
- 2 tbsp malt or coconut vinegar
Instructions
- Sprinkle the turmeric and about a ¼ tsp of salt over the fish, mix well and set aside for 10 mins while you grind the spice paste.
- Drain the soaked chillies (if using whole chillies and reserve some of the water to add to the curry later) and grind to a fine paste along with all the other ingredients for the masala including the vinegar.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and allow the seeds to crackle.
- Now add the sliced shallots and saute on medium heat till they are translucent.
- Stir in the masala paste and cook on low-medium flame for 3-5 mins, adding a little water if necessary to prevent the spices from burning.
- Once you notice the oil separating on the sides, add a little more water (not too much, the gravy must be thick), season and slide in the fish pieces.
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes till the fish is cooked but not falling apart.
- Turn off the heat, pour the coconut oil over, stir and serve.