Chettinad Fish Curry

A peppery Tamil Nadu fish curry with freshly ground Chettinad spices, tamarind and curry leaves.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 50 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 600g firm fish steaks, such as kingfish or thick cod loin, cut into 5cm pieces
  • 4 dried Kashmiri red chillies
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 12 fresh curry leaves
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh root ginger and garlic paste
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 400ml water

Method

  1. Dry-roast the dried chillies, coriander, cumin, fennel and peppercorns in a pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the coconut for the last 30 seconds. Cool and grind to a fine paste with 3 tbsp water.

  2. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and half the curry leaves and cook until the seeds pop.

  3. Add the onions and cook for 8 minutes until golden. Stir in the ginger and garlic paste for 2 minutes.

  4. Add the tomatoes, turmeric and salt and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the ground spice paste and cook for 3 minutes.

  5. Add the tamarind paste and water, bring to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes.

  6. Add the fish, shaking the pan to coat rather than stirring. Cook gently for 8 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Scatter over the remaining curry leaves and serve with rice.