Mom is always reluctant to cook fish curry, because of the lack of fresh sea fish where we live. The ones we get in Indian stores are a few days old and they often stink. Though, mom always dreams about eating fish curry to the likes cooked by Somu and Kavuli, it has often remained a dream. Mom also worry about Amrit missing the delicious curry in his life. So life went on dreaming and worrying. One day dad bought whole fresh Tilapia from Costco. Tilapia is a farm bred fish. We often buy Tilapia fillets which are skinned and normally has no fishy taste which is essential for a fish curry- catch my point ;-) Removing the skin of Tilapia in our tiny Kitchen sink is such a messy process,so we decided to just clean it and make the curry.
Mom is overjoyed to finally make fish curry with a fish that has bones and head. Also worried about the curry turning bland without the fishy smell.Very well aware of what mom cannot recreate- Somus and Kavuli's magic. So mom decided to improvise and make curry guided by her own instincts.
Dad took the brave job of cleaning and chopping the whole fish, which we have never done in our whole lives. Removing all the scales fins and tails, Dad carefully chopped the fish into pcs. Now comes the important part, cleaning the head of the fish. Remove the eyes and scales and chop the fish along the bones. You will have the skull of the fish with juicy flesh attached to it. I know it sounds gory, but cleaning fish is such a task,which will require a brave heart and strong arms. Im thankful dad had both.. Though Kavuli and somu seem to clean fish with such ease. That is because when you become experts you dont depend on your muscle strength rather your tactical intelligence. Wars are not won with bombs but brains. Since we are beginners we should depend on our strength to learn the tactical intelligence. Anyway, finally the fish is cut and ready to go in curry.
Ingredients:
Coconut - A hndful
Chilly powder- 2 tsp to 3 tsp
Corriander pwd - 2 tsp
fenugreek pwd - 1 tsp
pepper - 5 whole
Green chilly - 1 small (this is a spicy chilly)
Shallots - 7 -10
ginger - a very small pc
tamarind - soak in warm water
coconut oil
Somu and Kavuli just used to add spices to coconut and grind it directly. Mom often find the coconut and spices in US lack the flavor and vigor to the likes we find in India. Lightly toasting the coconut and spices at least brings back half of those lost flavor. Take may be a handful of grated coconut and toast it lightly on low heat until the flakes are a bit dry and gives you a nice aroma. In another small pan toast 2 tsp of chilly powder, corriander powder and fenugreek powder on low heat. Be very careful not to burn the spices as burnt spices lent you a very bitter taste.
Add the roasted coconut, spices and 7 shallots and peppercorn to the mixer and grind well.The word is grind not blend. it is very important to have a well ground coconut paste for a fish curry. Finely chop the remaining 3 shallots and the small pc of ginger. Add oil to a pan and when it is hot add few fenugreek seeds. While it sizzles add the chopped shallots and ginger. Once roasted add the ground coconut paste. Mix well followed by the tamarind water. We have formed the base curry for our fish to swim in. Let it boil on low medium heat. Add salt and give a taste check before you drop in the fish. Pls dont taste after you have added the raw fish. When cooking with meat avoiding cross contamination is very essential. Tilapia takes only a few a good ten mins to cook, so mom prefers to get the curry cooked 70 percent before adding fish. Then drop in the fish, add a big sprig of curry leaf and close the pan with a lid. Let the curry boil on medium heat for good 10 mins. If you think the curry is very watery you can let curry boil on open pan until your desired consistency is reached. Drizzle a spoon of coconut oil and teared curry leaves on top and you are done!!!
Verdict.
Amrit- hmm yummm.. this has to go in the cookbook for sure
Dad- yummy loved it
Mom- oh.. thank god all the effort of cleaning and cooking are not ruined
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