Kerala Fish Curry (with tomato and without coconut paste)

Kerala Fish Curry / Naadan Fish Curry (with tomato and without coconut paste / milk). Best combo with Rice / Appam / Tapioca (kappa vevichathu) ...

Serves: 3 - 4

Ingredients

385 g any good quality fish pieces (net weight after cutting) Nemmeem (seer fish) / Avoili ….

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

Wash and clean fish pieces. Drain out water thoroughly. In a wide bowl, marinate fish pieces with above ingredients, cover and keep aside for half an hour.

Other ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

8 shallots / chuvannnulli (small onions), finely sliced (or 1 small size onion, finely sliced)

½ - inch piece ginger, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 green chilli, slit lengthwise

6 - 10 curry leaves

1 well ripe tomato, chopped (adding tomato will make a thick gravy)

3 kudampuli (3 big size or 4 small size)

2 ½ teaspoon red chilli powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon uluva podi (fenugreek powder / methi powder)

2 level teaspoon rice flour (rice flour will make the curry medium thick in consistency)

¼ cup (50 ml) water

Marinated fish pieces

1/2 cup (100 ml) water

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Method

Soak kudampuli in ¼ cup water for half an hour. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and stir well. Carefully remove soaked kudampuli after half an hour and reserve soaked water for cooking purpose. It may be 2 - 3 tablespoon. Strain this water through a fine sieve. It will be light brown in color  and without impurities.

Dilute red chilli powder, turmeric powder, uluva podi and rice flour in ¼ cup water and make a smooth mix. Keep aside (spice mix).

Heat oil in a meen chatty or pan or karahi on a medium heat.  Add sliced shallots or onions  and fry until golden color on a medium to low heat.

Add chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Fry till fragrant and crisp.

Add chopped tomato and fry until well combined for 2 – 3 minutes.

Add diluted spice mix and stir well on a low heat until the water dries up and raw smell goes.

Add kudampuli pieces, reserved  kudampuli stock and  ½ / 100 ml / 4 oz  cup water and salt to taste.

Cover with a lid boil on a medium heat for 5 - 7 minutes . When it starts boiling nicely, gently add marinated fish pieces. Cover  again and cook for  another   5 – 7 minutes or until done / fish well cooked / gravy thickens. Consume this fish curry after 1 – 2 hours. Then it will absorb all the flavours. Serve with rice / appam / kappa vevichathu (tapioca) ...