Chettinad Fish Curry Recipe | Chettinadu Meen Kuzhambu Recipe

Chettinad Fish Kuzhambu is a popular and a delicious fish kuzhambu recipe. To intensify the taste of this curry, a selected hand picked spices are roasted and freshly ground. This is one of my most favorite fish curry. To experience the best taste of this curry, either make this fish curry before four hours of eating or prepare the curry the previous night. And in the morning the flavor of fish will be induced well in the curry and the taste will be doubled. We relish it with rice and idli.

Also, Check my other fish kuzhambu recipes,

• Andhra Style Fish Curry/Chepala Pulusu
• Nellai Fish Kuzhambu
• Nethili Meen Kulambu/Anchovy Fish Kuzhambu
• Karuvadu Kuzhambu
• Dry Anchovy Fish Kuzhambu | Nethili Karuvadu Kuzhambu
• Hot and Sour Fish Kuzhambu/Spicy Tomato Fish

Chettinad Fish Curry Recipe

Ingredients:

Fish - 200 gms
Small Onion - 1 cup or 2 big onion
Tomato - 2
Green chilli - 4, slitted
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Tamarind - a lemon sized
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste

To roast and grind:

Coriander seeds - 3 tsp
Red chilli - 8 to 10
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds / Perunjeeragam - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Sesame oil / Nallennai - 2 tblspn

To make a paste:

Coconut - 1/2 cup

To temper:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a sprig

Method:

Clean the fish and marinate it with 1/2 tsp of chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Soak tamarind in water and extract its juice.

In a pan, add 1/2 tsp of oil and roast the ingredients listed under "to roast and grind". Take the roasted spices in a blender and grind it to a smooth powder.

Make a smooth paste of coconut adding little water and keep aside till it is ready to use. Coarsely grind the tomato.

In a pan, heat little oil. Once oil becomes hot, temper with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.

When mustard seeds start to pop, add in chopped onion and saute till it becomes translucent.

Then, add in prepared masala powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder and saute for a minute.

Add in ground tomato paste and let it cook for 2 minutes. Then, add in tamarind extract, salt to taste and enough water. Cook for 15 minutes.

Add the fish and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Switch off the flame.

Serve with hot rice, idli or dosa.

Note:

• Adding coconut will make it more thicker. You can also avoid it.

Pictorial:

Keep all your ingredients ready

Grind coconut into a smooth paste and make tomato puree

In a pan, drizzle little oil and add coriander seeds, red chilli, cumin seeds, black pepper and fennel seeds

Roast the spices over medium to low flame till it changes color slightly. Do not burn it or make it brown

Transfer the roasted spices into a mixer

And make a smooth powder. Also soak the tamarind in warm water and extract its juice

Finely chop onion and slit the green chillies

In a pan, heat 3 tablespoon of sesame oil. When oil becomes hot, add in mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves

Once the mustard seeds begin to pop, add in slitted green chillies. Saute for 10 to 15 seconds

Then, add in finely chopped onion

Saute till it becomes translucent

Now, add the masala we prepared above

Saute for 30 seconds. Keep the flame medium to low, do not burn it

Now, add the tomato puree

Cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium high flame

Then, add the tamarind extract

Let it cook for a minute

Add in coconut paste

water as required (I added 1.5 to 2 cups of water)

Add salt to taste and bring it to boil. Let it cook for at least 10 minutes

In a bowl, take the cleaned fish. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and little salt.

The curry is boiling for a while now

Add the marinated fish

Cover and cook over low to medium flame for 10 minutes.

Fish gets cooked well and oil started separating. Remove from flame.

Serve with hot rice.