Kerala Style Tomato Fish Curry

This is a good way to prepare Mild tasting fish like Tilapia, Cod, Flounder and so on. This fish curry keeps on tasting better the longer you keep it before serving. Enjoy this fish curry with Rice or Rotis.

Ingredients

1. Any Fish (cut into curry sized pieces) – 1/2 kg or 1 lb approx (I used Tilapia Fillets)
2. Sliced Shallots – 8 to 10
3. Diced Tomatoes – 1 big
4. Curry Leaves – A sprig
5. Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
6. Kudam Puli (Gambooge/Fish Tamarind/Malabar Tamarind) – 3 or 4 small pieces
7. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
8. Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
9. Kashmiri Chilly Powder – 2 tbsp (Alternatively, you can use mild Paprika Powder for nice red color)
10. Fish Masala Powder – 1.5 tbsp (I used Eastern Fish Masala Powder)
11. Fenugreek Powder (Uluva Podi) – 1/4 tsp
12. Oil – 2 tbsp
13. Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
14. Water – as needed
15. Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp (for cleaning the fish)
16. Salt – to taste

For marinating the fish

1. Kashmiri Chilly Powder – 2 tsp (Alternatively, you can use mild Paprika Powder)
2. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
3. Red Chilly Powder – 1/2 tsp
4. Salt – to taste

Preparation Method

1. Clean and wash the fish thoroughly and cut into curry sized pieces. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice to water and soak the pieces for 5 minutes to remove any unwanted smell. Drain and keep aside.
2. Marinate the fish pieces with the above ingredients and keep it aside for 15 minutes.
3. Soak the fish tamarind (kudampuli) in warm water for 15 minutes. Alternatively, microwave the fish tamarind with little water for 30 seconds or until soft. Wash and drain and keep aside.
4. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp oil in a deep pan and splutter mustard seeds.
5. Throw in the shallots and curry leaves. Saute until the shallots are translucent.
6. Throw in the diced tomatoes along with little salt and cook until the tomatoes are pulpy and mashed.
7. Add 1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute.
8. Reduce heat and add turmeric powder, red chilly powder, kashmiri chilly powder, fish masala powder and saute for a minute or two.
9. Add fenugreek powder and give it a quick stir fry.  Immediately, add 1.5 to 2 cups of water and bring the gravy to a boil. You can add more water if you need more gravy.
10. Reduce heat to medium and add the fish tamarind/gambooge. Continue boiling the gravy for 5 more minutes so that it thickens. Add salt to taste.
11. Next, add the fish pieces to the pan and swirl the pan gently. Cook covered on medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes swirling the pan occasionally.
12. Open the pan and continue cooking the fish for 5 more minutes on low heat. Remove from heat and keep covered.

Kerala Style Fish Cutlets

Ingredients

1. Canned Tuna Fish – 2 cans ( I used Chunk Light tuna in water)
2. Potato – 2  medium
3. Very Finely Diced Onions – 1 big
4. Finely chopped Green Chillies – 2 or 3 (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
5. Finely Minced Ginger – 2 tbsp
6. Finley Minced Garlic – 3 to 4 cloves
7. Curry Leaves (finely shredded) – A few
8. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
9. Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
10. Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
11. Garam Masala Powder – 1/2 tsp
12. Fennel Seeds Powder – 1/4 tsp (optional)
13. Black Pepper Powder – 1/2 tsp
14. Fish Masala Powder – 1 tbsp (Optional – I used store bought Eastern Fish Masala brand)
15. Oil – 2 tbsp
16. Salt – to taste
17. Egg – 1
18. Bread Crumbs – 1/2 cup approx
19. Cooking Oil for frying – As needed

Preparation Method

1. Boil the potato along with salt until well cooked. Allow it to cool and then remove the skin. Mash it thoroughly until there are no chunks (Alternatively, you can pressure cook the potato until cooked).
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and saute onions until translucent.
3. Add green chillies, ginger, garlic and curry leaves and saute for a few more minutes.
4. Add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, fish masala powder (optional), pepper powder, fennel seeds powder (optional) and garam masala powder. Saute for 2 minutes.
5. Drain the water or oil from the tuna and add it to the pan along with salt to taste. If using fish fillets instead of canned fish, see the note section.
6. Mix everything well and saute the tuna for around 10 minutes. Allow it to cool.
7. In a large bowl, combine the cooked fish and mashed potatoes using your hands. Do a taste test and add more salt if needed.
8. Make lemon sized balls using your palm and flatten the balls to form cutlets of any desired shape. Place it on a plate or tray.
9. Beat the egg in a bowl and keep aside. Take bread crumbs in a plate and keep aside.
10. Take one cutlet at a time and dip it in the beaten egg and then roll it in the bread crumbs until the cutlet is fully coated with bread crumbs.
11. Once all cutlets have been coated with bread crumbs, heat a non stick frying pan and add oil as required for deep frying or shallow frying.
12. Place the cutlets slowly in the pan and fry each side on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Drain onto paper towels.
13. Serve these tasty fish cutlets with ketchup, onion salad, mint chutney or any dip.

Note

1. You can use Fish Fillets instead of Canned Fish. I have made these fish cutlets with Tilapia Fillets and it tasted good.
2. If using skinless & boneless fillets, wash it thoroughly and cut it into medium sized pieces. Follow the same procedure. While cooking the fish, stir frequently with a spatula so that the fish breaks down into small pieces. You need to saute the fillets for around 15 minutes.
3. Alternatively, you can microwave the fillets for 4-5 minutes until tender. Shred the fillets using a fork and then saute it with the other ingredients in the same manner. This will reduce the cooking time.
4. If using Fish with bones like King Fish, boil the fish with salt and turmeric until done. Remove the bones and shred the fish. Saute it with the remaining ingredients.
5. You can easily make 20 cutlets with 2 Cans of Tuna.

Karimeen Varuthathu (Pearl Spot Fry)

In US, frozen Karimeen is available in most of the Indian Grocery Stores. It doesn’t taste as good as the fresh ones but it is definitely a welcome change. These frozen ones are cleaned for convenience. It definitely makes life easier since it is difficult to remove the scales from Karimeen and you need some degree of expertise. Here is the recipe for making Pearl Spot Fry (Karimeen Porichathu). You can either shallow fry or deep fry the fish.

Ingredients

1. Pearl Spot/Karimeen – 4 nos (Around 1 lb or 1/2 kg)
2. Ginger Garlic Paste – 2 tbsp
3. Kashmiri Chilly Powder – 1 tbsp
4. Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
5. Turmeric Power – 1/2 tsp
6. Black Pepper Powder – 1 tsp
7. Coriander Powder – 1 tsp (Optional)
8. Eastern Fish Masala Powder – 1 tbsp (Optional)
9. Vinegar – 1 to 2 tsp (Alternatively, you can use Lemon Juice)
10. Salt – to taste
11. Oil – as needed for frying

Preparation Method

1. Clean the fish thoroughly. Remove the eyes, scales and fins and make gashes on both sides of the fish. You can also cut the mouth using Kitchen Shears.
2. Make a marinade using the above ingredients (except oil) and apply it liberally on the fish. Stuff some marinade inside the fish. Refrigerate it for 1-2 hours for a better flavor.
3. Heat oil in fan. You can shallow fry or deep fry the fish until brown and crisp.
4. Serve each fish with sliced onions, tomatoes and a wedge of lemon.

Kerala Style Baked Fish

Ingredients

1. Fish Fillets – 2 medium (I used Tilapia Fillets)
2. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
3. Paprika/Kashmiri Chilly Powder – 2 tsp (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
4. Black Pepper Powder – 1/2 tsp
5. Fish Masala Powder – 1 tbsp (Optional) – I used Eastern Fish Masala Powder
6. Ginger Powder – 1/2 tsp
7. Garlic Powder – 1/2 tsp
8. Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp
9. Salt – to taste

Preparation Method

1. Make a marinade using the above ingredients and apply it on the fish fillets. Refrigerate it for atleast one  hour.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degree F (200 degree Celsius). Line a baking pan with Aluminum Foil and spray some cooking oil.
3. Place the fish fillets on the pan and bake uncovered for around 15 minutes. Turn the fillets carefully and bake for another10-20 minutes depending on how crisp you want your fish to be.
4. Be careful not to bake it for too long or else it will become dry.

Note

• Make sure the fish fillets are not thin or else they will end up breaking or getting dried.
• You can also use 1 tbsp of Fresh Ginger Garlic Paste instead of Ginger & Garlic powders.

Fish Stuffed Parathas

This is an excellent tiffin for kids. If you have fish fillets, you can make this quickly.

Ingredients

For the stuffing

1. Tilapia Fish Fillets – 2 (You can use any Fish of your choice)
2. Finely Diced Onions – 1 small
3. Diced Tomatoes – 1 large
4. Finely Diced Green Chillies – 2 (Optional)
5. Minced Ginger – 1 tbsp
6. Minced Garlic – 1 tbsp
7. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
8. Red Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp (Alter according to your Spice Tolerance)
9. Fish Masala Powder – 1 tbsp (I used Eastern Fish Masala powder)
10. Black Pepper Powder – 1/2 tsp
11. Garam Masala Powder – 1/2 to 1 tsp
12. Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp + 2 tsp
13. Salt – to taste

For the Paratha

1. Wheat Flour – 2 cups
2. Salt – to taste
3. Warm Water – as needed
4. Oil/Ghee – few teaspoons
5. Wheat Flour (for dusting) – as needed

Fish Paratha

Preparation Method

Making the dough

1. Combine wheat flour, little salt and 1 tsp oil in a bowl.
2. Slowly, add warm water and start kneading to form a smooth dough which is not sticky.
3. Drizzle a few drops of oil to coat the outer surface of the dough. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.

Preparing the Fish Masala

1. Wash the Tilapia fillets and soak it in water along with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Rinse and drain after 5 minutes.
2. Marinate the fillets with salt, turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp red chilly powder.
3. Microwave the fillets for 4-5 minutes. Shred the fish with a fork and keep aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan and saute onions until translucent.
5. Add ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves and saute for a few minutes.
6. Add tomatoes along with salt to taste and cook until soft and pulpy.
7. Reduce heat and add 1/2 tsp chilly powder, 1 tbsp fish masala powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, garam masala powder and saute for 2 minutes.
8. Add the shredded tilapia pieces and mix everything well. Sprinkle 2 tsp lemon juice.
9. Cover the pan and cook on medium low heat for 5-7 minutes till it is completely cooked and dry.

Rolling out Parathas

1. Make big lemon sized balls from the dough using your palms.
2. Flatten each ball by dusting it lightly in wheat flour.
3. Place the flattened dough on a rolling board and start rolling to form a thin circle of 4-5″ diameter.
4. Make 2 such Parathas and keep aside.
5. Take a spoonful or two of the fish masala and spread it on the surface of one paratha.
6. Take the second Paratha and place it on the first Paratha and seal the edges thoroughly by pressing it.
7. Continue to make Stuffed Parathas with the remaining dough.

Baking the Parathas

1. Heat a tava or non stick pan/griddle on medium high heat. Place the stuffed paratha on the hot tava.
2. Cook  both sides of the Paratha on medium heat  till it is starts puffing and small brown spots start appearing.
3. With the back of a spoon dipped in oil, you can dab oil on both sides of the paratha to make it soft.
4. Serve these Fish Parathas with any Raitha and Pickle.

Notes

1. You can also use Canned Fish for this recipe. Canned Tuna is an excellent choice.
2. Fish Masala Powder is optional. You can use Coriander Powder and Fennel Seeds Powder instead of Fish Masala Powder.