Simple Fish Curry #FishFridayfoodies

Delicous and simple fish curry made with spices and without coconut milk. This soul satisfying curry goes well with rice or bread of any kind.

If you are looking for a simple, soul satisfying fish curry then try this recipe. Only a few ingredients are needed to make this curry in a traditional style without any addition of coconut milk. You can make this simple fish curry with any fleshy fish, I made with Tilapia, but you can make with Pomfret, Tuna, Snapper, Seer Fish, Salmon etc.

This simple fish curry called Mulakitta meen curry / meen vevichathu in Malayalam, my mother tongue.

How to cook this simple fish curry?

 This Fish curry is cooked with red chili, spices and well flavored with  Garcinia cambogia  / brindleberry/ Malabar tamarind/ kudam puli.

Ingredients

Fish: I used Tilapia you can use any fleshy fish, Pomfret, Tuna, Snapper, Seer Fish, Salmon will work for this recipe.

Spices

Sweet Paprika/ Kashmiri chili powder:  Use a mild chili powder I used Kashmiri chili powder which gives the red color however it is mild.

Cayenne pepper / Red chili powder: This gives heat to the recipe; you can adjust the heat depending upon your taste bud.

Coriander powder:  All fish curry requires coriander powder and traditionally ratio is 1:2 for Chili powder

Fish curry masala: This is optional just an extra blend of spices, you can skip, do not try to substitute with garam masala which is not required for fish curry.

Fenugreek powder: it is needed only a pinch do not add it will make it bitter.

Turmeric:  This is your daily dose of anti-inflammatory medicine.

Pepper: Pepper will not only increase taste but also brings out flavor in the curry.

Salt: You need to salt the fish before cooking. Adding salt after cooking does not give a good taste except to make it saltier.

Ginger adds enhance the earth taste of fish.

Coconut oil:  Use coconut oil for better taste.

Malabar Tamarind/ Garcinia cambogia  : This is souring agent used in this curry. If you cannot get hold of it use regular tamarind. I have not tried using vinegar.

Onion: Use red onion. Traditionally both shallots and red onions are used, I used red onion only.

Tomato: Adding tomato to fish curry will enhance the taste, however you can skip it.

Points to remember

Traditionally fish curries in Kerala are made in earthen pot if you have one use it. Otherwise, regular pot will work too.

You can use both fresh and frozen fish. I prefer fresh one for the curries and frozen ones for pan fry or fried fish.

This curry can be better served with rice or kappa (tapioca/yuca). It always tastes better after a day.

This is one of the traditional recipes from Thiruvananthapuram in the state of Kerala, where I was born and brought up. If you like this fish curry and have tried it, please share your feedback on Instagram @nidhinikhil or Facebook @zestysouthindiankitchen.

I made this simple fish curry as a part of Fish Friday foodies, as this January's Fish Friday Foodie event is about sharing a dish that you deem company worthy; maybe something that was served to you once that you were impressed by, or a dish that has had rave reviews from friends or family when you've shared it with them. This month’s host is Rebeka   of MAKING MIRACLES

• Creamy Shrimp Newburg by Food Lust People Love
• Crispy Shrimp Triangle Spring Rolls by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Dungeness Crab Risotto and Some Italian Bubbles by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Easy and Elegant Garlicky Shrimp Pasta by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Prawn Patio by Sneha's Recipe
• Tilapia Curry by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Mediterranean Baked Fish by Making Miracles

Print Recipe
5 from 103 votes
Simple Fish Curry
Delicous and simple fish curry made with spices and without coconut milk. This soul satisfying curry goes well with rice or bread of any kind.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: #curry, Simple fish curry, Tilapia curry
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 120kcal
Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)
Ingredients
• 1 pound Tilapia cut it into slices
• 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder or Sweet paprika
• ½ tablespoon Coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper /red chili powder if you want heat increase the amount 1-2 tsp
• 1 teaspoon Fish masala optional
• ¾ cup chopped red onion
• ½ tablespoon ginger chopped
• 1 Green chili chopped
• ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon Fenugreek powder
• ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
• 2 pieces of Garcinia cambogia / brindleberry/ Malabar tamarind/ kudam puli.
• 1 ½ tablespoon coconut oil
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 cups water
• 1 tomato chopped into small cubes
Instructions
• First wash and cut the tilapia into 1 ½-inch pieces. If you are using whole fish then you need to remove the scales, head, fins, and internal organs.
• In a bowl add ½ cup warm water and soak the 2 Garcinia cambogia / brindleberry, Malabar tamarind/ kudam puli for at least 30 minutes.
• In an earthen pot or sauce pot add 1 tablespoon coconut oil and ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds when it starts popping add chopped onion, salt, and ginger. Adding salt will speed up the cooking of onion.
• Then add a green chili and 1 sprig curry leaves. Cook until the onion becomes translucent.
• To this add Kashmiri chili powder /sweet paprika, red chili powder, coriander powder, fenugreek powder, turmeric powder. And fry until raw smell goes about 2 minutes
• To this add soaked Malabar tamarind/ Kudam puli along with ½ cup water. Then to this add 2 cups water and bring to boil .
• Then add fish pieces and tomato and cover with lid and continue to cook.
• After 10-12 minutes remove the lid and add rest of coconut oil and curry leaves.
• To this add black pepper and remove from the fire and enjoy with rice or chapathi.
Video
Notes
Once you add fish pieces do not stir the pot only tilt to mix. Otherwise, it will break.
Also you can take out Malabar tamarind if you don’t want too much sour.
Curry taste great as it sit at room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 264mg | Potassium: 284mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 644IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!
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Swathi
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread.  All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.