Kottayam style Fish Curry | Nadan Choora Curry | Meen Mulakittathu
Filed under: Fish Recipes
Posted on 26 Apr 2024, by
Preparation
00:20 minutes
Resting
00:00 minutes
Cooking
00:40 minutes
Total Time
01:00 Hrs
Servings
8-10 servings
Difficulty
MODERATE
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- Fish – 750 Grams, cut into medium pieces, I used Tuna Fish
- Red Pearl Onions – 6 - 8 Nos, peeled and sliced or crushed, optional
- Garlic - 8 - 12 cloves, peeled and sliced or crushed [ approx: 2 Tablespoons ]
- Ginger - 1 inch piece, peeled and sliced or crushed [ approx: 2 Tablespoons ]
- Curry leaves - 1 - 2 sprigs
- Red Chili Powder - 3/4 Tablespoon
- Kashmiri chilli powder – 2 Tablespoon
- Turmeric powder – 1/2 Teaspoon
- Gambooge/Kokum – 2 - 3 Nos
- Warm water - 1/2 cup, for soaking Gambooge
- Coconut oil - 2 Tablespoon
- Mustard seeds – 1 Teaspoon
- Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 Teaspoon
- Water as required [ approx: 1.5 to 2 cups ]
- Curry leaves - 1- 2 sprig
- Salt to taste
For Final Mixing:
- Fenugreek Powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
- Asafoetida Powder - 1/8 Teaspoon, optional but recommended
- Coconut Oil - 1/2 to 1 Tablespoon, optional but recommended
- More Curry Leaves, optional but recommended
Directions
Initial Preparation:
- Clean and cut the fish into medium sized pieces. Drain the water completely and set aside.
- Wash the gambooge, then soak it in ½ cup of warm water for 10 minutes. Set aside.
- Peel and slice ( or crush) the garlic, ginger, red pearl onions and set aside.
Fish Curry Preparation:
- Heat 2 tablespoon of coconut oil in a pan/earthenware.
- Once the coconut oil is hot, splutter mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds.
- Add in the sliced red pearl onions, garlic, ginger and curry leaves. You can use crushed Garlic and ginger, if desired.
- Saute ginger and garlic on medium heat until the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away and the onions turn light golden in color for about 3 - 4 minutes.
- Once the onion turns light golden in color, reduce the heat and add in the turmeric powder. Stir for 1 minute on low heat.
- After that add in the chilli powder, Kashmiri chilli powder and roast it for 2 - 3 minutes on low heat. Be careful not to burn the powders and roast them at a low temperature. Kashmiri chilli powder is added to give color to the curry. If you don't want to add the Kashmiri chili powder, you can use 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of regular chilli powder.
- Now add in the soaked gambooge along with the soaked water and mix it well.
- Saute well on medium heat until all this water dries up. This step will help the curry to get good color and thick gravy. So roast it well till all the water dries up.
- After that add enough water to cook the fish, enough salt and combine well.
- When the water boils, add in the cleaned fish pieces and cook covered on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes or until the fish curry is thick enough.
- In between, rotate the pan to mix the curry. Once the fish is cooked, do not stir the curry with spoon. Fish pieces are more likely to crumble.
- Once the fish curry is thick enough, add in the fenugreek powder, asafoetida powder, curry leaves, coconut oil and cook covered on very low heat for another 1-2 minutes.
- After that the stove can be turned off. Serve after the curry is completely cooled. Serve it the next day for better taste.
NOTES
- Red pearl onions are not used in the traditional version of Kottayam style fish curry. But I like to add it because it enhances the flavor.
- You can skip the red pearl onions, if you want to keep the fish curry for 2-3 days in normal room temperature.
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