Meen Vattichattu

Name: Meen Vattichattu (A Kerala-style fish curry)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 5 tablespoons red chile paste (see Note); 2 teaspoons table salt; ¼ teaspoon ground fenugreek; Lemon-size ball of tamarind; ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 tablespoon ground coriander; 2 dried red chiles, stemmed and broken in half; 1 pound (500 grams) surmai (kingfish), cut into 2-inch-thick (5-cm-thick) fillets; 2 teaspoons coconut oil; ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds; ½ teaspoon dhuli urad dal (split skinless black gram); 10 to 12 fresh curry leaves

A Kerala-style fish curry

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

How to Cook Indian

By Sanjeev Kapoor

Published 2011

About

Kerala is famous for its exotic payasam (rice dessert) as well as for its banana wafers and a vast variety of fish preparations such as this mildly tangy and spicy curry. Serve it with steamed rice.

Ingredients

1 pound (500 grams) surmai (kingfish), cut into 2-inch-thick (5-cm-thick) fillets
Lemon-size ball of tamarind

Asia
India
Fish course
Pescatarian
Gluten-free
Spicy
Kerala

Method

Wash the fish under running water and drain well in a colander.
Soak the tamarind in 1 cup (200 ml) warm water for 15 minutes. Squeeze to remove the pulp, then strain it into