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–+ servings

Madras fish curry

A family dish from Chennai. Meen kuzhambu gets its flavour from the shallots, tamarind, and tomatoes. It features the taste of the lightly poached fish to perfection. Simple to prepare and cook, this is another dish that must go straight from the pan to the plate.
A serving bowl of chennai fish curry, with some dried red chillies on the side.
prepare: 5 minutes
cook: 30 minutes
marinate: 1 hour
total time: 1 hour 35 minutes
difficulty: moderate
yield: 4 servings
calories: 411 kcal
diet: gluten free
cuisine: Indian, madras

equipment

  • small bowl
  • small frypan
  • kadai

ingredients

  • 800 g snapper fillet - cut into 5cm pieces

for the marinade

for the gravy

for serving

instructions

  • Place snapper into a bowl, sprinkle with the turmeric and chilli powder and toss, ensuring that each piece is coated. Cover and set aside for one hour.
  • Heat a small frypan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds and toss gently until the seeds start to colour and become aromatic. Remove from the heat, allow to cool then grind to a fine powder.

to cook

  • Heat the oil in a kadai or wok over medium-low heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds and fry for 30 seconds, then stir in the shallots. Sprinkle with the salt and fry gently until softened and lightly golden-brown. This will take around 10 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and fry until raw garlic smell has gone.
  • Add the curry leaves and ground coriander. Mix well and fry for two minutes.
  • Add the tomatoes, tamarind liquid and green chillies. Mix well and simmer until the tomatoes are cooked and the oil is separating from the sauce - about 10 minutes. You may need to add a little water to stop the gravy from becoming too thick, but do not allow it to become watery.
  • Add the fish, cook for a further five minutes or until just cooked through. Avoid stirring or you will break up the fish. Just continually spoon the hot gravy over the fish. You are poaching the fish, not stewing it.

to serve

  • Remove from heat, add the coriander leaves and lemon juice. Mix very gently, decorate with the sprig of curry leaves, then serve.

notes

  • Gingelly oil is Indian sesame oil. It is very different from the Asian sesame oil, being much less intense in flavour. Substitute with vegetable oil if unobtainable.
  • Any firm fish will work in this recipe. Cod, kingfish, ling or mackerel will work well.
  • A sprig of curry leaves will have about 10-20 leaves on it. You need around 30-40 leaves in this recipe or less if using dried leaves.

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nutrition

Serving: 225 g | Calories: 411 kcal | Carbohydrates: 17 g | Protein: 44 g | Fat: 19 g | Saturated Fat: 2 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10 g | Trans Fat: 0.1 g | Cholesterol: 74 mg | Sodium: 819 mg | Potassium: 1150 mg | Fiber: 4 g | Sugar: 9 g | Vitamin A: 1522 IU | Vitamin C: 212 mg | Vitamin D: 20 µg | Calcium: 146 mg | Iron: 2 mg