Meen kuzhambu with steamed rice
Tamil Nadu's tangy fish curry: small onions and garlic sautéed in gingelly oil with mustard and fenugreek seeds, simmered with tomato, chilli and tamarind until the oil floats, with the fish cooked gently in it at the end. Seer fish (vanjaram) is the treat; mackerel and sardines are the everyday fish. Eat it with hot rice; it tastes even better the next day.
- 55 minTime
- 32 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 34 gprotein per portion
- 680kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 500 gSeer fish (surmai), steaks, washed
- 3 mlTurmeric
- to tasteSalt
- 30 gTamarind
- ≈ 600 mlWater, warm
- 15Small onions (shallots), peeled and halved
- 10 clovesGarlic, peeled, whole
- 2Tomatoes, chopped
- 4 tbspGingelly oil
- 1 tspMustard seeds
- 3 mlFenugreek seeds
- 2 sprigsCurry leaves
- 2 tspRed chilli powder
- 1 tbspCoriander powder
- 1 tspJaggery
On the side
- 350 gRice, sona masoori or ponni
Method
- Soak the tamarind in a cup of the warm water.
- Wash the rice two or three times, put it in a pressure cooker with 2½ times its volume of water and cook for 3 whistles.
- Let the rice cook, then leave it until the pressure drops by itself, about 20 minutes in all.
- Rub the fish with half the turmeric and a little salt and keep aside.
- Peel and halve the small onions, peel the garlic and chop the tomatoes.
- Squeeze the tamarind well in its water and strain the juice. Pour the rest of the water over the pulp, squeeze again and throw away the fibres.
- Heat the gingelly oil in a kadai or clay pot (manchatti) and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, small onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are soft and golden, about 6 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and cook until mushy, about 4 minutes. Lower the flame, stir in the red chilli powder, coriander powder and the rest of the turmeric and sauté for half a minute.
- Pour in the tamarind water, add salt and the jaggery. Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered on a medium flame for about 15 minutes, until the raw smell of tamarind has gone, the kuzhambu has thickened a little and oil floats on top.
- Slide in the fish pieces gently. Don't stir, just swirl the pan, and simmer for 7–8 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Switch off the flame.
- Serve the kuzhambu with the hot rice.
