One of the finest traditional delicacies of Kerala is the spicy fish curry that’s made in the clay pot…
When you are in Kerala you are guaranteed to find spicy fish curries on the menu of any fine or local restaurants. Most of the curries are prepared in clay pots and are served in clay pots as well. Making fish curries in the clay pot has been the traditional way of cooking fish and it’s still the most preferred way of making fish curry. None of the other modern cooking methods could possibly beat the taste of the fish curry that’s cooked in the clay pot. You could find at least one clay pot for making fish curry in most of the kitchens in kerala. Once you realize the difference in taste between the fish curry that’s made in the clay pot and in the non-stick pot, you’ll definitely rush to the nearest local market to get hold of a clay pot.
In my mom’s kitchen, fish curry is still prepared in clay pots and that’s the sole reason for the unbeatable taste of the fish curry. Only difference I’ve found this time was that her method of preparing fish curry has changed. I found my moms new method of preparing fish curry quite easy and fast. So here is yet another recipe from my mom’s cookbook.
Spicy fish curry made in a clay pot
Ingredients:
- Fish- Malabar Trevally or Para (in malayalam), any small to medium sized whole fish, cleaned- 7
- Small onions, chopped- 10
- Ginger, chopped- 1/2 tsp
- Garlic chopped- 1 tsp
- Fresh Tamarind extract- juice extracted from a golf size fresh tamarind
- Water- enough to make the gravy
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Coconut oil- 2 tbsp
To grind and to make paste:
- Small onions- 10
- Tomato, chopped- 1
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Chili powder- 2 tsp
- Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tsp
- Ground pepper- 1/2 tsp
- Salt- to taste
Instruction:
- Clean the fish under running water and remove any internal organs found in them and keep aside.
- Grind the above mentioned to grind and to make paste ingredients into a smooth paste and keep aside.
- Heat a clay pot, add oil, add the small onions, ginger and garlic, saute for few minutes.
- Add the ground paste to the sautéed onion mixture and saute the paste for few minutes without burning it. Add salt to taste.
- Soak the golf size fresh tamarind in 3 tbsp warm water for 5 minutes and squeeze the tamarind juice out of it. Discard the skin.
- Pour the tamarind juice into the clay pot and add enough water (1 cup water) to thin down the gravy and give it a stir.
- Now, add the cleaned fish and curry leaves into the curry or gravy, cover the clay pot with a lid and let come to a boil. Make sure to lower the heat.
- Taste the curry and add more salt if needed.
- When the curry has come to a boil and the fish has cooked well, remove the clay pot from the heat, cover it and let cool down for sometime.
- This fish curry goes well with rice, pathiris, and chapatis.
Tips:
- You could adjust the spice level according to your needs. The more the spice the more tastier this fish curry gets.
- You could also store the ground paste in the refrigerator for few days.
- This fish curry tastes better the next day.
- Fish- Malabar Trevally or Para (in malayalam), any small to medium sized whole fish, cleaned- 7
- Small onions, chopped- 10
- Ginger, chopped- ½ tsp
- Garlic chopped- 1 tsp
- Fresh Tamarind juice- juice from a golf size tamarind
- Water- enough to make the gravy
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Coconut oil- 2 tbsp
- Small onions- 10
- Tomato, chopped- 1
- Curry leaves- 1 sprig
- Chili powder- 2 tsp
- Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
- Coriander powder- 1½ tsp
- Ground pepper- ½ tsp
- Salt- to taste
- Clean the fish under running water and remove any internal organs found in them and keep aside.
- Grind the above mentioned to grind and to make paste ingredients into a smooth paste and keep aside.
- Heat a clay pot, add oil, add the small onions, ginger and garlic, saute for few minutes.
- Add the ground paste to the sautéed onion mixture and saute the paste for few minutes without burning it. Add salt to taste.
- Soak the golf size fresh tamarind in 3 tbsp warm water for 5 minutes and squeeze the tamarind juice out of it. Discard the skin.
- Pour the tamarind juice into the clay pot, add enough water (1 cup water) to thin down the gravy and give it a stir.
- Now, add the cleaned fish and curry leaves into the curry or gravy, cover the clay pot with a lid and let come to a boil. Make sure to lower the heat.
- Taste the curry and add more salt if needed.
- When the curry has come to a boil and the fish cooked well, remove the clay pot from the heat, cover it and let cool down for sometime.
- This fish curry goes well with rice, pathiris, and chapatis.
You could also store the ground paste in the refrigerator for few days.
This fish curry tastes better the next day.