Nellore Fish Curry
A tangy and spicy fish curry originating from Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, characterized by its use of tamarind and a blend of aromatic spices. “Pulusu” refers to a sour stew.
Servings
4
Ready In:
2hrs 45min
Calories:
610
Good For:
Lunch
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By: Anne Jangam
A tangy and spicy fish curry originating from Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, characterized by its use of tamarind and a blend of aromatic spices. “Pulusu” refers to a sour stew.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoon gingely (sesame) oil
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 3 dried red chillies
- 5 sprigs curry leaves
- 8 cloves minced garlic
- 4 green chillies
- 15-20 shallots (small onions)
- Big lemon size tamarind
- 6 very ripe tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons red chilli powder
- 3 teaspoons coriander powder (dhania)
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
- 500 grams fresh water fish with bones
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Spice Powder :
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
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Heat 6-8 tbsp of gingely (sesame) oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, dried red chilies, and plenty of curry leaves (about 5 sprigs). Fry until crisp.
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Add minced garlic, chopped green chilies (to taste), and finely chopped shallots. Fry until lightly browned.
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Soak a lemon-sized tamarind piece in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze and strain to remove seeds. Set aside.
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Blend 6 tomatoes into a puree. Set aside.
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Add tomato puree, tamarind pulp, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp red chili powder, 3 tsp coriander powder, salt, and 2 more cups of water to the pan. Simmer covered on low for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until oil floats on top.
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Add fish pieces and cook for 7-8 minutes on low heat.
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Meanwhile, dry roast fenugreek, cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, and black pepper on low heat for 5 minutes until fragrant. Cool, then grind into a fine powder.
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Add the spice powder to the curry, simmer for a minute, then remove from heat. Serve hot with rice.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Heat 6-8 tablespoons of Gingely (sesame) Oil in a pan. Be generous with the oil. Add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves. Lots of curry leaves. I used about 5 sprigs. Fry until the curry leaves are crisp.
Step 2
Add in the finely minced garlic, chopped green chillies and finely chopped shallots (small onions). Add green chillies according to your taste. Fry till they are lightly brown. The oil will bubble up if you are using gingely oil. Its fine.
Step 3
Soak a big lemon size tamarind in 2 cups of water. Let it soak for 20 minutes. Make a pulp by squeezing the tamarind well. Strain the pulp to get rid of the seeds. Set aside.
Step 4
Puree 6 tomatoes in a blender. Set aside.
Step 5
Add tomato puree, tamarind pulp, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp red chili powder, 3 tsp coriander powder, salt, and 2 more cups of water to the pan. Simmer covered on low for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until oil floats on top.
Step 6
Add fish pieces and cook for 7-8 minutes on low heat.
Step 7
Meanwhile, dry roast fenugreek, cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, and black pepper on low heat for 5 minutes until fragrant. Cool, then grind into a fine powder.
Step 8
Add the spice powder to the curry, simmer for a minute, then remove from heat. Serve hot with rice.
