Homestyle Fish Curry Recipe

A good fish curry and piping hot rice is comfort food like no other - agree?

I mean look at Bangalore weather right now peeps - perfect snooze time after a hearty meal, to those working from home - I feel sorry for y'all :)

One of my memorable experiences of fish curry and rice was this Goan thali meal at The Ritz hotel, a small hole-in-the-wall kinda joint that my ex-boss took us to during a team offsite. The next one being at Machlis, Mangalore after a nonstop veggie meal affair owing to a Brahmin wedding. Fish, crabs, prawns, and scallops, that's my ranking when it comes to seafood/ crustaceans on a plate on any given day.

So are you a fish fry or curry and rice kinda person?

Well, if I had to choose between the two - I definitely love a good tawa masala fry any day!!

But the curry made at home has always held a special place in my seafood repertoire.

To those who've pinged about how do all the curries have a fiery hue - well most of our spice mixes are freshly milled or ground at home. Nothing comes from a supermarket, pretty much. I've either picked whole spices during my yearly visit to a coastal region, city market, or a small vendor near OPH road in namma Uru.

Great-grandma was born and married off in Tamil Nadu, that's how even though I am a Maharashtrian, most of our home cooking has a large South Indian influence. I mean we've never made Bhakarwadi at home or a Misal Pav for that matter. Freshly ground wet masala bases are a part of most of our home-style dishes, as you can see here in almost all my recipes.

INGREDIENTS

500g - Fish, curry cut

1 large - onion, chopped

3 sprigs - curry leaves

1 tsp - Mustard seeds

2 medium-size - Tomatoes. chopped

2 tbsp - Tamarind pulp (adjust basis the sourness of tomatoes used)

6 tbsp - Oil

1 tsp - Turmeric powder

1 tbsp - Coriander powder

2 tbsp - Red chilli powder (adjust as per preference)

Salt to taste

Masala, grind to a fine paste with little water :

1 - raw onion, small

4 inch - Coconut, fresh

4 pods - Garlic

6-7 sprigs of Coriander leaves

PROCEDURE

1. Heat oil in a kadai, or deep vessel. Add mustard seeds & curry leaves, let it splutter.

2. Add in chopped onion, fry until slightly golden. Then add tomatoes and cook until mushy.

3. Once the tomatoes are mushy and oil separates - add turmeric powder, coriander powder and chilli powder and fry for about 3 mins on a medium simmer.

4. Add in the ground masala and cook until the raw smell disappears and oil floats atop.

5. If your tomatoes aren't too sour, add in tamarind pulp as per the recipe, else adjust as per your preference since you will also need to add salt later.

6. Add 1 cup water and let this cook on a medium simmer for about 8-10mins on a low flame with a closed lid on. Remember not to add too much water, as fish meat will also leave out its own juices when cooked

7. Add in your fish pieces, salt to taste and let it simmer once again with a closed lid on for another 10mins, or until the meat is cooked basis the fish type you've used.

Serve hot with rice.