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Chettinad style saiva meen kuzhambu or vegetarian fish curry. The fish steaks are made using cowpea – thattapayir and simmered in a tamarind gravy. It looks very similar to a traditional fish curry.

There are some recipes that are so fun to make and this is one such recipe. I made this for the first time years ago. There is no fish in this recipe. The cowpea – thattapayir patties are shaped and fried like fish and added to the curry. People truly believe that it is indeed the traditional South Indian fish curry. Years ago, Vinodh truly believed that it was fish curry until he took the first bite – the first time. I totally love the facial expression people make after taking the first bite of the fish curry. The curry tastes really good and its the fun part that makes this recipe a winner when you serve them to guests for the first time.

Here is the video of how to make saiva meen kuzhambu

We will be using thatta payir / cowpea – brown variety for making the faux fish steaks.

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Cowpea – Thattapayir paste Soak the cowpea overnite in water. Next day, drain the water and grind the cowpea with fennel seeds, red chilli powder, salt and garlic cloves to a thick paste. Try not to add any water while grinding. Add 2 tablespoon of water if the mixie wont budge and make sure that the paste remains thick. Pulse several times if need be.

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Steaming the Cowpea – Thattapayir paste Traditionally, the paste is steamed in a local leaf called “ lejjai ketta keerai “. Its also called as nanjundan keerai or lachakkottai keerai. Its widely used in cooking in the chettinad region. They even make a stir-fry with the leaves. Today I will be using banana leaves for steaming the paste. If you cant find banana leaves, you can even use parchment paper as a substitute.

Spread the paste on the banana leaf to form a rectangle. Cover the leaf gently over the paste.

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Steam the leaf for 15 minutes in a steamer.

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Once the paste has been fully cooked, remove the leaf from the steamer and cut the cooked paste into roughly about one inch cubes.

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Frying the Thattapayir – Cowpea cubes Heat Oil in a pan until hot. Place the cubes gently in oil and fry them until crisp and golden brown. Drain the fried cubes on paper towels. Set aside. Tip: If the oil is really hot, the steamed cubes wont stick to the bottom of the skillet while shallow frying. Alternatively, one can use a non-stick pan to fry the cubes.

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For the Gravy Heat sesame oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and fennel seeds. Let the seeds splutter. Add in the chopped onions and fry till the onions are nice and soft and starting to brown.

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Add in the chopped tomatoes, coriander powder, sambar powder, chilli powder and salt. Fry till the tomatoes are well cooked and juiced down. Add in the tamarind paste and two cups of water. I have used homemade tamarind paste today. Simmer the gravy for 10 minutes. Note: If using raw tamarind, soak a lime size tamarind in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind in the palm to extract the pulp. Discard the seeds and use the tamarind pulp in the recipe. Homemade Tamarind Paste Recipe .

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Add in the fried cubes and simmer for couple of minutes more.

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The faux fish curry is ready. Do try it at home.

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For the fish steak

  • 1/3 cup cowpea / thatta payir
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (sombu)
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup sunflower oil to shallow fry

For the gravy

  • 2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (vendhayam)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (sombu)
  • 2 sprigs curry leaves
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon sambar powder
  • 1 teaspoon chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon tamarind paste

For the fish steaks

  1. Soak the cowpea overnite in water. Next day, drain the water and grind the cowpea with fennel seeds, red chilli powder, salt and garlic cloves to a thick paste.
  2. Spread the paste on the banana leaf to form a rectangle. Cover the leaf gently over the paste.
  3. Steam the leaf for 15 minutes in a steamer.
  4. Once the paste has been fully cooked, remove the leaf from the steamer and cut the cooked paste into one inch cubes.
  5. Heat Oil in a pan until hot. Place the cubes gently in oil and fry them on each side until crisp and golden brown. Drain the fried cubes on paper towels. Set aside.

For the Gravy

  1. Heat sesame oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and fennel seeds and curry leaves. Let the seeds splutter. Add in the chopped onions and fry till the onions are nice and soft and starting to brown.
  2. Add in the chopped tomatoes, coriander powder, sambar powder, chilli powder and salt. Fry till the tomatoes are well cooked and juiced down. Add in the tamarind paste and two cups of water.
  3. Simmer the gravy for 10 minutes.
  4. Add in the fried cubes and simmer for couple of minutes more.
  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Category: Curry
  • Cuisine: Tamilnadu
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For the fish steak

  • 1/3 cup cowpea / thatta payir
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (sombu)
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup sunflower oil to shallow fry

For the gravy

  • 2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (vendhayam)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (sombu)
  • 2 sprigs curry leaves
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon sambar powder
  • 1 teaspoon chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon tamarind paste

For the fish steaks

  1. Soak the cowpea overnite in water. Next day, drain the water and grind the cowpea with fennel seeds, red chilli powder, salt and garlic cloves to a thick paste.
  2. Spread the paste on the banana leaf to form a rectangle. Cover the leaf gently over the paste.
  3. Steam the leaf for 15 minutes in a steamer.
  4. Once the paste has been fully cooked, remove the leaf from the steamer and cut the cooked paste into one inch cubes.
  5. Heat Oil in a pan until hot. Place the cubes gently in oil and fry them on each side until crisp and golden brown. Drain the fried cubes on paper towels. Set aside.

For the Gravy

  1. Heat sesame oil in a pan and add in the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and fennel seeds and curry leaves. Let the seeds splutter. Add in the chopped onions and fry till the onions are nice and soft and starting to brown.
  2. Add in the chopped tomatoes, coriander powder, sambar powder, chilli powder and salt. Fry till the tomatoes are well cooked and juiced down. Add in the tamarind paste and two cups of water.
  3. Simmer the gravy for 10 minutes.
  4. Add in the fried cubes and simmer for couple of minutes more.
  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Category: Curry
  • Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/saiva-meen-kuzhambu/

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Mor Sambar or Sambar made with buttermilk is a nice variation to the usual sambar made for lunch. This is a very simple recipe and can be made within minutes. I have adapted this recipe from Mrs. Anuradha Krishnamoorthy. Also, here is the recipe for traditional Mor-kuzhambu .

Prep Work Mix 3/4 cup of plain yogurt (curd) with 1/2 cup of water and mix well with a whisk to get rid of lumps. Set aside. Boil 1/3 cup of Toor dal with a cup of water in a pressure cooker for 5 whistles. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to settle naturally. Set aside.

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Fry the ladies finger in a teaspoon of oil and a pinch of salt until the veggie is brown and no more slimy. Set aside.

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Masala Powder

Dry roast coriander seeds and dry red chillies on a low flame until the seeds are slightly brown and very aromatic. Remove from the skillet and set aside on a plate to cool. In the same skillet, dry roast fenugreek seeds (vendayam) on a low flame until the seeds are slightly brown and very aromatic. The fenugreek seeds will start to splutter once its roasted. Roasting the fenugreek seeds will reduce the bitterness in the seeds. Do not use a lot of fenugreek seeds. The curry will become very bitter. Once roasted, remove from the skillet and set aside on a plate to cool.

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Grind the roasted seeds and the chilli to a fine powder. Set aside.

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I have been using my Panasonic heavy duty mixie for over a decade now and its still going strong. My mom, aunt and Vinodh’s aunt all use Panasonic and we love it as it does a great job of grinding masalas to a fine powder or paste. Here is where you can buy them.

Heat sesame oil (gingely oil) in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the asafoetida powder (perungayam – hing). Add half a cup of water and the ground masala powder. Simmer for a couple of minutes.

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Add a cup of water and the cooked dal mixture. Add in the fried ladies finger and salt. Let the mixture come to a full boil.

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Switch off the flame and add in the yogurt-water mixture.

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Serve hot with rice.

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Prep

  • 3/4 cup Plain Yogurt – Curd
  • 1/3 cup Toor Dal

For Frying Ladies Finger

  • 15 Ladies Finger, cut into inch size pieces
  • 1 teaspoon sunflower oil
  • a pinch of salt

For the Curry

  • 2 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 5 dry red chillies
  • 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Prep

  1. Mix 3/4 cup of plain yogurt (curd) with 1/2 cup of water and mix well with a whisk to get rid of lumps. Set aside.
  2. Boil 1/3 cup of Toor dal with a cup of water in a pressure cooker for 5 whistles. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to settle naturally. Set aside.

For Frying Ladies Finger

  1. Fry the ladies finger in a teaspoon of oil and a pinch of salt until the veggie is brown and no more slimy. Set aside.

For the Curry

  1. Dry roast coriander seeds and dry red chillies on a low flame until the seeds are slightly brown and very aromatic. Dry roast fenugreek seeds on a low flame until the seeds are slightly brown and very aromatic. Remove from the skillet and set aside on a plate to cool.
  2. Grind the roasted seeds and the chilli to a fine powder. Set aside.
  3. Heat sesame oil (gingely oil) in a pan and add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the asafoetida powder (perungayam – hing). Add half a cup of water and the ground masala powder. Simmer for a couple of minutes.
  4. Add a cup of water and the cooked dal mixture. Add in the fried ladies finger and salt. Let the mixture come to a full boil.
  5. Switch off the flame and add in the yogurt-water mixture.
  6. Serve hot with rice.
  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Category: curry
  • Cuisine: Tamilnadu
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