Tamilnadu Fish Curry Recipe / Tamil Style Meen Kuzhambu

Recipe for Tamilnadu style fish curry / meen kuzhambu recipe. With step by step pictures and video. Tamilnadu Fish Curry Recipe / Tamil Style Meen Kuzhambu

I met Chef Paramraj during my travels. His food was home style comforting South Indian food which I liked a lot. His fish curry blew my mind. Clean flavors, nothing over powering and delicious in every single bite. I went to tell that his food was awesome after dinner and we had a good chat for a long time and he was happy to share the recipe for this curry. This is his home town Dindigul style fish curry. He says they never used ginger or garlic in fish curries in that part of the region.

Its an extremely simple and easy recipe. He uses sesame oil / gingely oil for this curry. He says that gingely oil is the only oil used in Tamilnadu style fish curries. The flavor of gingely oil in south Indian curries cant be beat. I have to agree.

His food is a perfect example of home style rustic cooking that can be mind blowing. I got reminded of what Chef Jacques Pepin told once in an interview. “One of the biggest problems with young chefs is too much addition to the plate. You put cilantro and then tarragon and then olive oil and then walnut oil or whatever. It’s too much. It is important to have food nicely represented and all of that. But there is a certain quality to the food itself. Many young chefs add too much to their plates. I call it Punctuation Cuisine . They put sauce commas and dashes, one after the other. I get lost.”

Click the link below to find the recipes on the site that uses the main ingredient as Fish. Fish Recipes

Here are some of the equipment, utensils and gadgets that will be useful for making this recipe. Click the link to buy them online. Stainless Steel Frying Pan Heavy Duty Mixie Deep burned natural clay pot

Here is the video of how to make Tamilnadu style Fish Curry

Here is the step by step pictorial of how to make Tamilnadu style Fish Curry Here is what you will need for the fish curry. First we need to make a fried masala paste. We will need gingely oil, Shallots (small onions) and fresh shredded coconut. Heat sesame oil (gingely oil) in a pan and add in the shallots and fry till slightly golden. Note: If the shallots are big, use a little less and chop them and use so it cooks fast and cooks evenly.

Then add the fresh shredded coconut and fry on low flame until its golden. Its important to fry the coconut along with the shallots on low flame. Getting the coconut nice and roasted imparts a nutty delicious flavor to the curry. Remove the mixture from heat once its golden. Grind to a smooth pasting adding up to a cup of water. Its important to grind the mixture to a very fine paste so the curry will be smooth and velvety. Set aside.

Heat sesame oil (gingely oil) in a pan until hot. Sesame oil is important for this curry. Add in the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the sliced onions and curry leaves. Saute till the onions are soft.

Add in the masala powders Turmeric, Chilli powder and Coriander Powder and fry for 10 seconds on low flame. Add in more chilli powder if you want a spicy curry. Fry the masalas on low flame so they don’t burn. Burnt masala powders will spoil the taste of the curry. So all eyes on the pan guys.

Grind the tomatoes in a small mixie to a paste. Add it to the pan.

Fry until the mixture is completely dry.

Soak a lime size tamarind in one cup of hot water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind in the water to extract all the juices. Strain the juice and set aside the tamarind pulp / juice. Discard the tamarind seeds and the pith. Add the tamarind pulp to the pan. Add in the salt. Add in the ground shallot-coconut mixture. Wash the mixie with half cup water and add back to the pan. Add an additional cup of water.

Keep the stove on low flame and cover the pan with a lid. Let it simmer for 20 minutes on low flame. Stir the curry once or twice when simmering. After 20 minutes, add in the fish steaks. I used Indian Salmon today. Cover the pan again and cook for 7-8 minutes on low flame. Remove from heat.

Let the curry rest for at-least one hour. The fish will soak up all the flavors of the curry. Below is a picture of fish curry pond :).

Serve with rice.

For the Paste

• 2 tablespoon sesame oil (gingely oil)
• 20 shallots (Indian small onions) about 150 grams
• 1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut

Other Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon sesame oil (gingely oil)
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 3 teaspoon coriander powder
• 3 tomatoes
• lime size tamarind
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 500 grams fish steaks (I used Indian Salmon)

1. Heat sesame oil (gingely oil) in a pan and add in the shallots and fry till slightly golden.
2. Then add the fresh shredded coconut and fry on low flame until its golden. Grind to a smooth pasting adding up to a cup of water. Its important to grind the mixture to a very fine paste so the curry will be smooth and velvety. Set aside.
3. Heat sesame oil (gingely oil) in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the sliced onions and curry leaves. Saute till the onions are soft.
4. Add in the masala powders Turmeric, Chilli powder and Coriander Powder and fry for 10 seconds on low flame.
5. Grind the tomatoes in a small mixie to a paste. Add it to the pan.
6. Fry until the mixture is completely dry.
7. Soak a lime size tamarind in one cup of hot water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind in the water to extract all the juices. Add the tamarind pulp to the pan. Add in the salt. Add in the ground shallot-coconut mixture. Wash the mixie with half cup of water and add back to the pan. Add in an additional cup of water.
8. Let it simmer covered for 20 minutes on low flame.
9. Stir the curry once or twice when simmering. After 20 minutes, add in the fish steaks. Cover the pan again and cook for 7-8 minutes on low flame. Remove from heat.
10. Let the curry rest for at least one hour. The fish will soak up all the flavors of the curry.
11. Serve with rice.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Category: Curry
• Cuisine: Tamilnadu

For the Paste

• 2 tablespoon sesame oil (gingely oil)
• 20 shallots (Indian small onions) about 150 grams
• 1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut

Other Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon sesame oil (gingely oil)
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 3 teaspoon coriander powder
• 3 tomatoes
• lime size tamarind
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 500 grams fish steaks (I used Indian Salmon)

1. Heat sesame oil (gingely oil) in a pan and add in the shallots and fry till slightly golden.
2. Then add the fresh shredded coconut and fry on low flame until its golden. Grind to a smooth pasting adding up to a cup of water. Its important to grind the mixture to a very fine paste so the curry will be smooth and velvety. Set aside.
3. Heat sesame oil (gingely oil) in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add in the sliced onions and curry leaves. Saute till the onions are soft.
4. Add in the masala powders Turmeric, Chilli powder and Coriander Powder and fry for 10 seconds on low flame.
5. Grind the tomatoes in a small mixie to a paste. Add it to the pan.
6. Fry until the mixture is completely dry.
7. Soak a lime size tamarind in one cup of hot water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind in the water to extract all the juices. Add the tamarind pulp to the pan. Add in the salt. Add in the ground shallot-coconut mixture. Wash the mixie with half cup of water and add back to the pan. Add in an additional cup of water.
8. Let it simmer covered for 20 minutes on low flame.
9. Stir the curry once or twice when simmering. After 20 minutes, add in the fish steaks. Cover the pan again and cook for 7-8 minutes on low flame. Remove from heat.
10. Let the curry rest for at least one hour. The fish will soak up all the flavors of the curry.
11. Serve with rice.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Category: Curry
• Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/tamilnadu-fish-curry-recipe-meen-kuzhambu/

Vendhaya Keerai or Methi leaves turn out to be such a tasty green if cooked properly. Its my husbands favorite keerai. We can never have enough of methi. Not to forget that its one of the healthiest greens around. The addition of chickpeas / chana adds for a very satisfying bite. Here is how to do it.

Here are other recipes on the site using Greens Spinach / Greens Recipes

Here is the video of how to make Vendhaya Keerai Kadalai Poriyal / Methi Chana Stir Fry

Methi leaves usually have a lot of dirt and sand in it. Separate the leaves from the stems and soak it in water for about 20 minutes. The sand will settle in the bottom of the water. So remove the greens from the top gently so the sand stays at the bottom. Then wash it in clean running water 2-3 times until all the grime is gone. Chop the leaves coarsely. Set aside.

Here is how to clean any variety of greens properly.

Heat oil in a pan and add in the urad dal. Let the urad dal slightly brown. Add in the mustard seeds and dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the green chillies if using.

Add in the finely chopped curry leaves and the onions. Fry till the onions are soft. I like to chop and add the curry leaves for this dish.

Add in the chopped vendhaya keerai / methi leaves and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add in the cooked chickpeas/chana and the fresh shredded coconut. Saute for a couple of minutes. Finally add in the salt. Note: A small Tip while cooking bitter greens – Adding salt in the end while making bitter greens like methi or drumstick leaves will make the greens less bitter. Adding salt in the beginning somehow makes the greens very bitter. Next time you cook these greens, try adding the salt in the end. You will definitely notice the difference.

Remove from heat and serve.

• 200 grams (about 2 cups ) Vendhaya Keerai / Methi Leaves
• 1.5 teaspoon Peanut Oil
• 1/4 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Urad Dal
• 3 Dried Red Chillies
• 3 green chillies, slit (optional)
• 3 sprigs Curry Leaves, finely chopped
• 1 cup Onions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups boiled chickpeas / chana
• 1/3 cup fresh shredded coconut

1. Clean and wash keerai in clean running water 2-3 times until all the grime is gone. Chop the leaves coarsely. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add in the urad dal. Saute for a few seconds. Add in the mustard seeds and dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds crackle.
3. Add in the finely chopped curry leaves, green chillies and the onions. Fry till the onions are soft. I like to chop and add the curry leaves for this dish.
4. Add in the chopped vendhaya keerai / methi leaves fry for 3-4 minutes.
5. Add in the cooked chickpeas/chana and the fresh shredded coconut. Saute for a couple of minutes. Finally add in the salt.
6. Remove from heat and serve.

Notes

Note: A small Tip while cooking bitter greens – Adding salt in the end while making bitter greens like methi or drumstick leaves will make the greens less bitter. Adding salt in the beginning somehow makes the greens very bitter. Next time you cook these greens, try adding the salt in the end. You will definitely notice the difference.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: Side Dish
• Cuisine: Tamilnadu