Ingredients-1
Fish fillets/pieces - 1 lbTamarind juice - made from 2-3 tamarind (lemon sixed tamarind ball or 1 tblsp of tamarind pulp)Tomato - 1 (optional)Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspAsafoetida - 1/4 tspMustard seeds - 1/2 tspFenugreek seeds - 5-8 seedsCurry leaves - 1 strandOil (preferably coconut oil/sesame oil) - 3-4 tblspGreen Chillies/banana peppers - (2 for garnish)Cilantro - for garnishOther veggies that can be added - Brinjal pieces, drumstick, banana peppers or raw mangoes
Ingredients-2 (12 spice)
Dry/Fresh Coconut - 3 tblspCorriander seeds - 2.5 tblspShallot/ Pearl Onions (sambhar onions) - 5-6Garlic - 5-6 clovesGinger - 1/4 " pieceDry Red Chillies - 7 (or as needed)Pepper - 5-7 seedsToor dal - 1 tspCumin seeds - 1 tspCurry leaves - 2 strandsCarom seeds - 1/4 tspSalt (preferably sea salt) - to taste
Method
1. Heat oil in a small pan and roast the grated coconut with the onions, garlic, ginger and dry red chillies till the coconut turns nice and brown. Set aside to cool.2. Similarly roast the corriander seeds, pepper, toor dal, curry leaves, cumin seeds and carom seeds too. ( Roasting each ingredient seperately is better but if you do not have time, you can roast everything together.)3. Once everything cools grind everything together (all the spices under ingredients -2) to a fine paste and keep aside.4. Heat little oil in a clay pot/deep pan. If you are adding any veggies, saute the veggies and tomato pieces till it is partly mashed up.5. Add turmeric powder, the ground spice masala, asafoetida and tamarind juice. Add required water and bring it to a boil.6. Check for salt and add the fish pieces. Cover and cook it for 5-10 minutes.7. Reduce the flame to the lowest and let the gravy simmer for another 15-20 minutes till the oil seperates from the gravy.8. Heat little coconut/sesame oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Add this to the gravy.9. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro and split green chillies. The final curry should have equal amout of spiciness from the masala, tanginess from the tamarind and salt.
10. Let the gravy rest for 2 hours before serving for the gravy to enter the fish pieces nicely. Serve with hot plain white rice.
