Sea bass fish curry
Sea bass fish curry with kodumpuli (also known as Garcinia cambogia or Malabar tamarind) is a classic Kerala dish that combines the rich flavours of coconut, spices, and tangy kodumpuli.
Ingredients
- 550 grams of Sea bass fish cut into pieces
- 1 onion finely sliced
- 3 big cloves of garlic, cut into juliennes
- 1- inch size ginger, cut into juliennes
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp fennel seed powder
- 10-12 shallots (small onions)
- ¾ cup grated coconut
- 2-3 kodumpuli pieces tamarind
- 1 tomato roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp of coconut oil
- ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
- Salt to taste
- Water as needed
- A few curry leaves
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsps of coconut oil in a kadai, add garlic and ginger and saute for a minute.
- Add the sliced onions and saute until golden brown.
- Simmer the flame and add Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, fennel seed powder and saute in low flame until the raw smell of the masala disappears. Add a little water if needed.
- Cool and grind them to a fine paste along with grated coconut.
- Heat 2 tbsps of coconut oil in the same pan, add fenugreek seeds and curry leaves and let them splutter.
- Add the shallots and kodumpuli and saute for a minute.
- Add the ground paste, salt and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add enough water needed for the gravy. Add the roughly chopped tomato.
- Bring the curry to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat, add the fish pieces and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the curry has thickened slightly.
- After cooking the curry and letting it simmer, taste it to check the sourness level. Kodumpuli can be quite tangy, and its sourness can intensify as it sits in the curry.
- If the curry is too sour for your taste, carefully remove the kodumpuli pieces from the gravy using a slotted spoon. You can also adjust the sourness by adding a bit of coconut milk or a pinch of sugar to balance the flavours if necessary.
- Drizzle a tsp of coconut oil and garnish with more curry leaves.
- Cover and leave it for 15 minutes for the flavours to meld.
- Serve the sea bass fish curry hot with steamed rice, appam, or dosa.
Notes
- You can also soak the kodumpuli in warm water for 10 minutes and add them along with the water. However, this step is optional. If you are soaking the tamarind add them after adding the masala paste.
- Kashmiri red chilli powder not only contributes a rich, beautiful colour but also provides a gentle, aromatic heat that doesn’t overpower the other flavours. If you are using the normal chilli powder, reduce the quantity.