Hello, Readers😇,
Today’s recipe is Chettinad fish curry. A South Indian recipe with mild and rich in flavor. I tried Chettinad fish curry 5 times..I hope it’s my 5th time🤔. But anyway it’s delicious. It’s a cuisine of a community called Nattukotai chettiars or Nagarathars as they call themselves, from the chettinad region of Tamil Nadu.
It uses a variety of spices and the dishes made with freshly ground masalas.
When first time I made it I skip the tamarind step so it does not tastes so good because coconut has a sweet taste. Then 2nd time it tastes amazing. So don’t skip any step of this. You can use any fish according to your choice. I used catla fish. You can add raw fish in the curry but I used fried fish.
So let’s start the recipe, read the recipe below.

Step by step with pictures –

1. Marinate the fishes with salt and turmeric powder. Keep it aside till 15 minutes.

2. Then fry them till nice red.

3. Now prepare the ingredients to make a paste.

4. Take 1/2 cup grated coconut also.

5. Now heat oil in a karhai add fennel seeds when they start spluttering add chopped ginger-garlic. Saute till 1 minute.

6. Now add onion and cook till half cooked.

7. Add tomato.

8. Now add powder masalas,(coriander, red chili and turmeric powder) and Saute.

9. Add grated coconut. Roast till 1 minute.

10. Make a fine paste.

11. In the same pan add extra oil and mustard seeds, curry leaves and sliced onion. And saute .

12. When onion became golden brown add the ground paste. And cook till oil starts separate from it.

13. Cook nicely.

14. Add tomato and 1/2 cup of tamarind water.

15. Add water and adjust salt. Cover the lid and cook till tomatoes become soft.

16. Now add fish. And cook till 2 minutes.
Enjoy. Serve with plain steamed rice.

😃
Prep time – 15 minutes
Cooking time – 20 minutes
Serve – 3
Cuisine – Chettinad
Author – Pratignya🙂
Ingredients:-
- Fish – 300 gm
- Tomato – 1 large
- Tamarind water – 1/2 cup
- Onion – 1 large(sliced)
- Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
- Curry leaves – 1 bunch
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Salt – as per taste
- Greenchilii – 3 (chopped)
To making ground paste-
- Fennel seeds(saunf) – 2 tsp
- Chopped ginger garlic – 2 tbsp
- Onion -1 large (Sliced)
- Tomato – 1 large (sliced)
- Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
- Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
- Chilli powder – 2 tsp
- Coriander powder – 2 tsp(instead of powder you can use 1 tbsp whole coriander seeds)it tastes better.
Instructions:-
- First wash the fish thoroughly and marinate it with turmeric powder and salt. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish pieces till red.keep it aside.
- Now make the ground paste. Heat oil in a pan. Add saunf when saunf starts spluttering add chopped ginger-garlic. When raw smell is gone add sliced onion.saute it. After 2 minutes add tomato saute for 2 minutes.
- Now add coriander powder, chili powder and turmeric powder. saute it then add grated coconut saute it for 1 minute. Take out from pan and cool it.then make a fine paste
- In the same pan add extra oil and mustard seeds, curry leaves and sliced onion. And saute .
- When onion became golden brown add the ground paste. And cook till oil starts separate from it.
- Now add tomato and tamarind water.and add 1 cup of water. cover and cook till tomatoes become soft
- Then add fish and adjust salt. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Then add some finely chopped green chilies(if you like or skip it ).
Serve with hot steamed rice.
It’s delicious. It smells so rich.

☺Enjoy