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Red Fish Curry / Meen Mulakittathu

Akhila
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A Perfectly cooked Authentic Kerala Style Fish Curry in a Spicy n Tangy Red Gravy… it’s Easy, Delightful, and sooo Yummy…!!!

Your day-to-day food is made to taste great and nothing can beat an authentic recipe. My hometown Kerala, a southern state of India, is blessed with fresh seafood and a lot of coconut, thereby making both an inevitable part of my diet. Almost all Kerala dishes have coconut incorporated in some form or the other and same is the case in our fish recipes. So what’s cooking for lunch today’s? It’s none other than a fish curry, but the highlight is… I have not used coconut at all…!

This dish is a Red fish curry a.k.a. “Meen Mulakittathu” or “Meen Vevichathu”, which is the one of the easiest fish curry recipes in Kerala. Its authentic preparation involves cooking in a clay pot, as it is believed that the pot enhances the flavour of the curry. During the earlier days when refrigerators where not in use, this curry was prepared a day before and was left overnight in the clay pot for its real flavours to come out.

The use of gambooge/kudampuli is another key ingredient which actually brings a smoky tanginess to the curry. Gambooge is a fruit which once ripe, is de-seeded, sun-dried, smoked and stored, and is later soaked in hot water a few minutes before cooking. I have also used Kashmiri Red chili powder which gives the bright red color to the curry while maintaining the spiciness.

The specialty of this dish is the perfect balance of the flavours and the simplicity in its preparation. It is an absolute treat to all the fish lovers out here and goes perfectly well with a bowl of steamed rice or roti.

Interested in more Kerala style fish recipes, check this out:

Enjoy, Happy Cooking!!!

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5 from 2 votes
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Red Fish Curry/Meen Mulakittathu
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 

A Perfectly cooked Authentic Kerala Style Fish Curry in a Spicy n Tangy Red Gravy… it’s Easy, Delightful, and sooo Yummy…!!!

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: fish curry, kerala
Servings: 4
Author: Akhila
Ingredients
  • ½ kg fish (check notes)
  • 1 cup pearl onions (sliced)
  • 2 green chilies (slit)
  • ½ inch sized ginger (crushed)
  • 3 garlic (crushed)
  • 2-3 kudampuli/gambooge/tamarind
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tbsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp fenugreek powder
  • 3 sprigs of curry leaves
  • oil (as required)
  • salt (as required)
  • 1½ cup water
Instructions
  1. Clean and cut fish into medium sized pieces. Set aside.
  2. Soak tamarind in ½ cup hot water for 10 mins.
  3. Heat oil in a pan/clay pot, splutter mustard seed and add curry leaves and fenugreek seeds. Saute for one minute.
  4. Add crushed ginger & garlic, and saute till its raw smell subsides. Add sliced pearl onion along with green chilies and a little salt, saute well on a medium flame.
  5. When the onions turn translucent, add chili, coriander and turmeric powder, mix well and saute for another 2-3 minutes on low flame. Make sure not to brown the spices. Add tamarind, water and bring the curry to a boil on high heat.
  6. Add fish pieces and season with salt as needed. Close the pan with its lid, bring down the heat to medium and let the fish cook for 5 – 7 minutes.
  7. Turn off the heat and garnish with curry leaves, close the pan and allow the curry to rest for 20-30 minutes for the flavours to blend.
  8. Serve warm with steamed rice/roti/boiled tapioca.
Notes

1. Any firm or fleshy fishes like king fish, mackerel, sardines, golden pompano, pomfret, salmon, pearl spot, red snapper,tilapia, rohu, catla can be used.

2. Adjust your chili powder according to your spice level.

3. Coconut oil is ideal for all authentic Kerala recipes, but any neutral oil except for olive oil would do.

 

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