This coastal dish from South India is full of flavours with the right balance of coconut and tamarind. Its a great dish which goes well with rice and also with any kind of pancake. If you are a lover of sea food, then this preparation just can not be ignored.
The preparation time may seem to be a little longer but it is indeed worth the effort. And, this dish can be made in larger than the required amount because it tastes even better when it is a day or two old (when refridgerated) .
Serves 4
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 ⁄2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
25 curr y leaves, torn
2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
15g garlic (approximately 5 large cloves), peeled and roughly chopped
8g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp turmeric
3⁄4 -11 ⁄2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
350ml water
450-500g whole mackerel, cleaned and cut into steaks 2.5cm thick
3-5 green chillies, left whole
11 ⁄2 tsp tamarind paste, or to taste
250ml coconut milk
salt, to taste
Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan. Add the fenugreek, cumin seeds and 10 of the curry leaves and fry for 10 seconds. Add the onions and cook for about 6-8 minutes until golden.
Meanwhile, puree together the tomatoes, garlic and ginger and powdered spices. Add to the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes over a high heat or until you can see little droplets of oil on the sides of the masala. Add a splash of water at any point, if necessary.
Add the water, bring to a boil and then add the fish, green chillies and remaining curr y leaves. Bring back to the boil and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in most of the tamarind paste but leave a little to add later. Once the fish is cooked, add the coconut milk. Stir well, taste and adjust the seasoning and sourness (adding the remainder of the tamarind paste if necessary) and add more water if you prefer a thinner curry.
Mmmm. Delicious.
