Kerala Style Fish Curry | Mulakarach Meen Curry | Mulakitta Meen Curry

Kerala Style Fish Curry - Mulakarach Meen Curry - Mulakitta Meen Curry

Malayalam word for fish is “Meen”. Some people call it as “Malsyam.

Kerala is very famous for Kappa (Cassava roots) and fish curry. Even in today’s world of modern fast food culture, malayalees have a good nostalgic feeling even hearing the name “Kappayum meenum”. Fish curry is an unavoidable dish in most of the non vegetarian malayali houses.

There are many ways to prepare the Kerala fish dishes – Red Fish Curry (with red chilly powder and kudam puli – gambooge), Thenga Aracha Meen Curry (fish curry with coconut gravy), Thenga Paal Fish Curry/ Fish Molee (fish curry made in coconut milk), thenga varutharacha fish curry (fish curry in roasted coconut gravy), Peera Patichathu (fish in crushed coconut), Meen Pollichathu (prepared in banana leaf) and many more. I’ll introduce you all kind of fish recipes in Kerala style in my upcoming posts.

Today I’m introducing a hot red fish curry. Here I’m using Cashmiri red chilli powder for hotness and gambooge for sourness. In some part of Kerala people use tamarind to give the sourness. Red fish curry is known in many names like Chuvanna Meen curry, Meen vattichath, Meen vevichathu etc – Kerala’s most favorite traditional side dish.

For a traditional style of preparation it’s recommended to use a “Meen Chatty” (earthern kadai) to make the curry. Usually red fish curry is prepared in the evening and keep it overnight and use it next day. So that the curry become more tasty by fish pieces absorbing the sourness, hotness, oil well.

Coconut oil is an another important ingredient of Kerala cooking. It gives a nice aroma to red fish curry.In this recipe I’m not adding usual tempering with mustard seeds or with any other ingredient but I add few drops of raw coconut oil at the end of the cooking. Also in this preparation I’m grinding the ingredients together to obtain a thick gravy.

Best combination

Kappa (Tapioca)
Rice + Moru + Thoran
Rice + Sambar
Rice + Curd + Chammanthi
Rice + Chammanthi
Porotta

Kerala Style Fish Curry | Mulakarach Meen Curry | Mulakitta Meen Curry

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Serves: 8 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients

1. Fish - 1/2 Kg
2. Cashmiri red chilly powder - 4 Tablespoon
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
4. Ginger - 1 1/2 Tablespoon - Chopped
5. Garlic - 1 1/2 Tablespoon - Chopped
6. Green chilly - 1 No
7. Shallots - 10 Nos
8. Pepper corns - 1/4 Teaspoon
9. Fenugreek seeds (Uluva) - 1/2 Teaspoon
10. Curry leaves - 2 Stem
11. Gambooge (Kudampuli) - 5 Pods
12. Asafoetida - 1/8 Teaspoon
13. Coconut oil - 1 1/2 Tablespoon
14. Salt

Instructions

Make a smooth paste of ingredients 2 – 9 and salt.
Heat oil in an earthen kadai (any type of pan can be used), add paste and saute till row smell goes away.
Add 2 cups of hot water and mix well without any lumps.
Bring the mixture to boil.
Add gambooge, asafoetida, curry leaves. (gambooge must be soaked in hot water at least for 15 minutes before adding)
Mix well and allow it to boil for 2 minutes.
Add cleaned fish, mix gently and cover with a lid.
Cook in low-medium flame for around 10- 15minutes.
Swirl the kadai or gently stir the curry without breaking the fish.
Sprinkle coconut oil on the curry and swirl it.
Cover the lid and switch off the flame.
Keep it overnight and serve next day for more taste.