Kottayam style Fish Curry

Kottayam style Fish Curry

(Kudampuliyittu vacha naadan meen curry. Recipe from Vanitha Paachakam June2001)

A very delicious and spicy fish curry. Best with rice / kappa / appam…

Serves: 3 – 4

Ingredients

For the paste:

2 teaspoon red chilli powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon coriander powder

1/4 teaspoon uluva podi (methi powder / fenugreek powder)

6 garlic cloves, chopped

6 shallots (small onion / chuvannulli), chopped

In an iron kadai / pan, lightly dry roast red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder (except methi powder) on a low heat for 2 – 3 minutes. Transfer dry roasted ingredients, methi powder, chopped garlic and shallots into a small mixer bowl and make a smooth paste.

Other ingredients

4 – 5 kudampuli (soak kudampuli in ¼ cup (50 ml) warm water for one hour).

12 curry leaves

500 g fish pieces

1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

75 ml water (less than ½ cup)

30 ml coconut oil (2 tablespoon or 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoon)

Method

In a meen chutty or earthen pot, arrange 6 curry leaves and 2 soaked kudampuli. Gently arrange fish pieces, salt to taste, chopped ginger and spice paste over it. Add 75 ml water - less than 1/2 cup (3/4 th level of the fish pieces and other ingredients) remaining curry leaves and kudampuli. Gently stir all the ingredients. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 8 - 10 minutes until fish pieces cooked / gravy thickens. Finally, sprinkle coconut oil (pacha velichenna) and serve with rice / appam / kappa … Consume this curry after 2 - 3 hours. Then it will absorb all the flavours.