Fish Kuzhambu (curry)
Indulge in the flavors of Fish Kuzhambu, a South Indian delicacy featuring tangy and spicy curry with fresh fish, aromatic spices, and tamarind. Perfect with rice and dosai and even better the next day!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Skinless Salmon fillet cut into small cubes
- 8 cloves Garlic thinly sliced
- 2 Green chilies cut in half
- 20 Shallots (small) or 1 big red onion chopped
- 1 Tomato chopped
- 1 tsp Tamarind paste mix it with 3 cups of water
- Salt to taste
Grind
- 1/4 cup Grated Coconut
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns
- 1 1/2 tsp Jeera (Cumin seeds)
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder adjust for spice level
- 1 1/2 tsp Dhania (Coriander) powder
- In a mixie jar, add the above ingredients under “Grind” with 1/4 cup of water. Grind it to a fine smooth paste and keep it aside. Add more water if needed.
Seasoning
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp Methi (Fenugreek seeds)
- 1/4 tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
- 1 Sprig Curry leaves
Instructions
- Heat oil in a kadai, add ingredients under seasoning one at a time and saute. Make sure the methi seeds doesn’t turn into dark brown which will give it a bitter taste.
- Add green chillies, garlic and shallots. Saute till the shallots are translucent, then add the tomatoes, and salt.
- When the tomatoes become soft, add the ground masala and saute till oil starts leaving the sides of the pan.
- Add tamarind water, season with salt and bring the curry to boil. Let it simmer for 6 to 7 minutes till the raw flavor of tamarind goes away.
- Turn the flame to low, taste test to see if it needs more salt before adding the fish pieces.
- Now add the fish pieces to the curry and stir gently and cook for another 2 minutes or until the fish pieces are tender. Salmon gets cooked very quickly.
- Turn off the flame and let it rest for 15 minutes. It tastes better after a while. Even better and yummy when it’s eaten the next day. Serve with hot steamed rice. Save some for dinner to have with dosai.
Tips
- You can use frozen grated coconut too. I usually thaw it in microwave for 15 seconds and then grind.
- You can make this curry with any fish you wish, wow.. that rhymes 🙂
- Substitute red chillies instead of green chillies.
- Use 1 lime sized tamarind soaked in warm water instead of tamarind paste
- I use Kashmiri chilli powder (I am glad to have my good Kashmiri friend who gets this for me from her hometown) for the bright orangish red color it gives to the kuzhambu.