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    Kerala Fish Curry

    Yum

    Updated on January 29, 2021 By Shalini 13 Comments - This post contains affiliate links which means if you use them to make a purchase, I'll earn enough money to maybe buy me a lil' something - an ingredient, probably.

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    Kerala Fish Curry or Kottayam Fish curry is the most popular and easiest fish curries from Kerala. It is also referred to as Red Fish Curry for it is cooked in red chillies and spices with a kick of coccum.

    Kottayam Fish Curry Recip- Kerala Fish Curry- Red Fish Curry

    Kerala is divided when it comes to food. Look at this one now. There are many varieties of fish curries in Kerala and this one is my favorite. I hail from the Travancore region of Kerala, Kottayam. The specialty of this fish curry is that we use black coccum aka kudampulli in it unlike tamarind in other fish curries. Also, another major difference you can find is the absence of coconut.

    Kottayam Fish Curry with Coccum - Recipe - Red Fish Curry

    It is said that fish curry made with coccum stays fresh for a longer period of time. At home, we keep it for a good 4-5 hours before serving. Authentic Kottayam Fish Curries are kept overnight. Thus, it is also called Yesterday's Fish curry 🙂 I keep for a couple of hours so that the spices get induced to the fish properly.

    Red Fish Curry Images Kerala Fish Curry Recipe

    Traditionally this fish curry is made in a "man chatti" or clay pot. I used my normal brown clay pot. You can also try to make in the black clay pot as it helps in bringing out the taste of fish curry to perfection.

    Recipe for Kerala Fish Curry

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    Kottayam Fish Curry

    Kerala Fish Curry


    ★★★★

    3.3 from 13 reviews

    • Total Time: 45 minutes
    Print Recipe
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    Ingredients

    • Fish: ½kg You can use Mackerel. I couldn't get it though.
    • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
    • Fenugreek (uluva) – ¼ tsp
    • Ginger & garlic – 1½ tbsp, crushed into a fine paste
    • Small onion – 6-8
    • Kashmiri chili powder – 1½ – 2 tbsp
    • Coriander powder – 1½ – 2 tbsp
    • Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
    • Cocum/kudampuli – 2,3 pieces
    • Curry leaves
    • Salt
    • Coconut oil

    Instructions

    1. Soak coccum in little water for 10 minutes. Keep aside.
    2. Mix the chili,coriander & turmeric powders together with coconut oil/water to make a paste. Keep aside.
    3. Heat oil in a clay pot or a pan & splutter mustard & fenugreek.
    4. Add crushed ginger garlic paste & stir for a couple of minutes.
    5. Add small onion & curry leaves & saute till it becomes soft.
    6. Add the masala paste and salt & fry till oil starts appearing.
    7. Add coccum along with the water & fish pieces. Combine well. It will be safer to rotate the pan to ensure that fish & masala is mixed well.
    8. Add required amount of water. just so that the fish pieces are immersed in it & cook till the fish is done & gravy becomes thick, it will take around 20 -25 minutes on low flame.
    9. Keep aside for an hour. Serve with rice or kappa (tapioca)

    Notes

    Bigger fishes like sardines, mackerel, seer fish, butter fish, pomfret are always preferred.
    You may use onion instead of shallots. But the taste may vary.

    • Prep Time: 0 hours
    • Cook Time: 0 hours

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    About Shalini

    Namaste! I'm Shalini, the blogger behind Something's Cooking(since 2014). I share only our best, family approved recipes with YOU because I've tried and tested every recipe published on this blog. You can find easy Keto, low-carb recipes, and authentic Indian recipes including South Indian (Kerala) foods. You can rest assured that Indian cooking will be made easy. Thanks for stopping by! I'm so happy you're here.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Parul Thakur says

      November 28, 2016 at 4:25 pm

      Wow! That looks so yum. I am not sure if I can get coccum around. Haven't used it ever but I guess this being Bangalore I should get it somewhere. Isn't it. Will try it Shalini. book marked 🙂

      Reply
    2. Nabanita says

      November 26, 2016 at 7:23 pm

      My mouth is watering. Will it spoil the dish if we fry the fish a bit before putting it in?

      Reply
    3. Shilpa Garg says

      November 26, 2016 at 6:43 pm

      Making a dish in clay pot adds to the flavour of the dish. I am imagining the sour taste of this curry and I can feel a tingling sensation!

      Reply
    4. Mayuri Nidigallu says

      November 26, 2016 at 6:04 pm

      Each time I visit your blog I learn something new! And drool over some more delicious looking dishes!:)

      Reply
    5. Jennifer says

      November 26, 2016 at 5:41 pm

      Seriously, everything you make looks amazing!

      Reply
    6. Reema D'souza says

      November 26, 2016 at 5:18 pm

      Wow! I am craving for some fish right now. This looks delicious and I'm sure it tastes amazing.

      Reply
    7. Amrita Basu (Misra) says

      November 26, 2016 at 2:53 pm

      I have never heard of coccum.I love sour dishes.I can't get it here But I will try to make this

      Reply
    8. Me Otherwise says

      November 26, 2016 at 11:01 am

      Wow Shalinilooks yummy and delicious!!!!

      Reply
      • Shalini says

        November 26, 2016 at 1:55 pm

        Thanks, Ramya. I hope you try it out 🙂

        Reply
    9. Anindya Sundar Basu says

      November 26, 2016 at 7:01 am

      This is my type of fish curry and I love the look of it . Thanks for all the info on the coccum . I must say once again the red colour is seductive here

      Reply
      • Shalini says

        November 26, 2016 at 1:55 pm

        Thanks, Anindya. I hope you try it out soon 🙂

        Reply
    10. Ramya says

      November 26, 2016 at 6:57 am

      Heard that kerala fish curry is very tasty. I am not sure what is coccum

      Reply
      • Shalini says

        November 26, 2016 at 1:57 pm

        Coccum is a souring ingredient just like tamarind. It is mainly used in preparing fish curries. You should try the dish sometime, Ramya 🙂

        Reply

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