A Traditional Mangalore Fish Curry

This Mangalore Catholic fish curry is both fiery and tangy, with traditional ingredients like coconut, tamarind, and plenty of red chillies.

This fish curry uses no oil; only a bit of water. And I like to make a tadka with Kashmiri chillies – which is sacrilege to the rest of my family, since Mangaloreans typically use the Byadige that is native to Karnataka. Read the full story of Jenny's fish curry.

Mangalorean Fish Curry Recipe
Ingredients
1 kg black pomfret (or any sea fish like white pomfret, surmai or lady fish)
1 green chilli, slit
1 marble-sized ball of tamarind
½ onion, sliced
To be roast and ground
½ coconut, grated
7 Kashmiri chillies, separate the heads and remove half the seeds inside
Turmeric, a pinch
1 green chilli
½ onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp coriander seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
5 peppercorns
For tempering (optional)
1 sprig curry leaves
A pinch of mustard seeds
2-3 red chilli heads

Method
Marinate the fish in a bit of salt and turmeric.
Put the tamarind in a little warm water and then squeeze out the pulp. Set aside.
Lightly roast and grind the ingredients as mentioned above.
Add a little water to wash out the spice paste, and use that water to gently cook the onion, and green chilli in a pot.
Add in the spice paste, and a little more water if needed, to reach a thick consistency. Add in the fish and cook till done. Add the tamarind pulp and more salt, if needed.
For tempering, heat the oil in a pan. Add in the mustard seeds and let them crackle. Then add in the curry leaves and Kashmiri chilli heads. Take off the heat and add to the curry.

This recipe is a #1000Kitchens feature!

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