Meen Curry-Fish Curry
"Kappa(tapioca) and Meen curry" is a staple of all Malayali households. Meen curry is dish of any fish simmered in chilly and turmeric powder along with tamarind (kudampooli) in a clay pot. Unfortunately getting a clay pot back to the U.S from India in one piece is quite the process. I had several but they somehow managed to break during the journey over here, so I'm stuck in making mine in a stainless steel pot. I learned my recipe from none other my Mom. Again a very simple recipe to follow and it's hard to go wrong.
Fish-1 lb ( usually use Kingfish steak, but this time I had to use Salmon, the price of fish is sky rocketing!)
Vinegar-1 tbsp
Chilly powder-2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seed-1/4 tsp
Ginger-1 inch piece finely sliced
Garlic-6/8 cloves thinly sliced
Tamarind(Kudampooli)-4/5 pieces soaked in 1/2 cup warm water
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Shallots-4 (thinly sliced)
Curry leaves-2 sprigs
Salt to taste
Oil
Directions
1. Cut the fish into to about 1 1/2 -2 inch pieces. You'll get approximately 12 pieces or so from 2 steaks. *Always use a separate cutting board and knives for fish and poultry so as to avoid cross contamination.
2.Wash the fish with plenty of running water. Lastly place some vinegar in a bowl full of water and soak the fish in it for a a few minutes to get rid off the raw smell. Drain in a colander. *Again use separate colander for fish and poultry.
3.In a clay pot or any pot that you may have pour about 2 tbsp oil. Once hot, add the fenugreek seeds. Once they give a fragrant aroma add the sliced ginger and garlic. Saute them for a few minutes till they turn nice and golden brown.
4.While they are sauteing, take the chilly powder and turmeric powder add some water and make a paste. Once the the ginger and garlic are ready add the paste and mix well. Making sure not to burn the masalas cook them through till the raw smell is gone and oil begins to separate. This will take at least 5-6 minutes.
5.Now you can add the pieces of tamarind along with the water that it was soaking in. Remember don't add any extra water. You can add salt at this time. Once all this comes to boil you can add your pieces of fish making sure not to overcrowd them.
6.Once all this comes to boil, lower the flame and let simmer for about 12-15 minutes till the fish has cooked through.
7. While the fish is cooking in a small wok/kadai you can heat some oil and splutter some mustard seeds. Then add the curry leaves and the thinly sliced shallots.
8.After the shallots and curry leaves have browned add this to the cooked fish.
***Make sure to wait to a few hours before serving. It takes time for the fish to absorb the salt, chilly and tamarind flavor in the curry. And make sure to remove some of the tamarind pieces after a few hours, because you don't want your curry to taste too sour!
"Kappa(tapioca) and Meen curry" is a staple of all Malayali households. Meen curry is dish of any fish simmered in chilly and turmeric powder along with tamarind (kudampooli) in a clay pot. Unfortunately getting a clay pot back to the U.S from India in one piece is quite the process. I had several but they somehow managed to break during the journey over here, so I'm stuck in making mine in a stainless steel pot. I learned my recipe from none other my Mom. Again a very simple recipe to follow and it's hard to go wrong.
Prep Time-15 minutes Actual Cook Time-25 minutes
IngredientsFish-1 lb ( usually use Kingfish steak, but this time I had to use Salmon, the price of fish is sky rocketing!)
Vinegar-1 tbsp
Chilly powder-2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seed-1/4 tsp
Ginger-1 inch piece finely sliced
Garlic-6/8 cloves thinly sliced
Tamarind(Kudampooli)-4/5 pieces soaked in 1/2 cup warm water
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Shallots-4 (thinly sliced)
Curry leaves-2 sprigs
Salt to taste
Oil
Directions
1. Cut the fish into to about 1 1/2 -2 inch pieces. You'll get approximately 12 pieces or so from 2 steaks. *Always use a separate cutting board and knives for fish and poultry so as to avoid cross contamination.
2.Wash the fish with plenty of running water. Lastly place some vinegar in a bowl full of water and soak the fish in it for a a few minutes to get rid off the raw smell. Drain in a colander. *Again use separate colander for fish and poultry.
3.In a clay pot or any pot that you may have pour about 2 tbsp oil. Once hot, add the fenugreek seeds. Once they give a fragrant aroma add the sliced ginger and garlic. Saute them for a few minutes till they turn nice and golden brown.
4.While they are sauteing, take the chilly powder and turmeric powder add some water and make a paste. Once the the ginger and garlic are ready add the paste and mix well. Making sure not to burn the masalas cook them through till the raw smell is gone and oil begins to separate. This will take at least 5-6 minutes.
5.Now you can add the pieces of tamarind along with the water that it was soaking in. Remember don't add any extra water. You can add salt at this time. Once all this comes to boil you can add your pieces of fish making sure not to overcrowd them.
6.Once all this comes to boil, lower the flame and let simmer for about 12-15 minutes till the fish has cooked through.
7. While the fish is cooking in a small wok/kadai you can heat some oil and splutter some mustard seeds. Then add the curry leaves and the thinly sliced shallots.
8.After the shallots and curry leaves have browned add this to the cooked fish.
***Make sure to wait to a few hours before serving. It takes time for the fish to absorb the salt, chilly and tamarind flavor in the curry. And make sure to remove some of the tamarind pieces after a few hours, because you don't want your curry to taste too sour!
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