(serves 4)
| Fish washed & cleaned | 500g |
| Ginger garlic paste | ½ tbsp |
| Turmeric | A pinch |
| Coriander powder | 2 tsp |
| Red chilli powder | ½ tsp |
| Salt | ½ tsp |
| To saute & puree | |
| Onions chopped | 2pc |
| Ginger garlic paste | ½ tbsp |
| Tomatoes chopped | 2pc |
| Salt | ½ tsp |
| Red chilli powder | 1 tsp |
| Turmeric | A pinch |
| Fennel seeds | ½ tsp |
| Coconut grated | 2 tbsp |
| Cooking oil as per choice | 1 tbsp |
| For curry | |
| Cooking oil as per choice | 1 tbsp |
| Curry leaves | 6-8pc |
| Fish masala | 1 ½ tsp |
| Water | 1 ½ cup |
Procedure
Marinate fish with ½ tbsp ginger garlic paste, a pinch of turmeric, red chilli powder & tsp salt.
On a flat fry pan, heat 1 tsp oil. Fry fish pieces slightly until the raw smell goes away just for 2 to 3 mins on both sides. You can also sear the fish. Keep this aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pot and add cumin. When they sputter, add onions and saute until lightly golden. Next add ginger garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes & ½ tsp salt.
Saute until tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
Next add coconut, fennel seeds (optional), red chili powder & turmeric. Fry until the mixture turns fragrant & the raw smell has gone away.
Cool this & add to a blender jar along with 2 to 4 tbsps water. Blend to a smooth or coarse paste to suit your liking. You can also use an immersion blender. Keep this aside.
For Fish Curry
Add 1 tbsp more oil to the same pot used earlier. Heat up on a low flame.
When the oil turns slightly hot, add curry leaves & green chilies.
When they splutter, add the ground onion tomato paste and fish masala. Fry until the mixture smells good. If you feel it is not hot enough for your taste, then add more chilli powder at this stage & saute.
Pour 1 ¼ to 1½ cup water. Mix and bring it to a boil. Cook until you see traces of oil on the surface and the gravy thickens a bit.
Gently slide the fish pieces and cook covered on a medium heat.
Carefully flip or turn the pieces to the other side after 3 to 4 minutes.
Cook until the fish pieces bulge a bit. This is the indication they are cooked completely. Taste the curry and add more salt if needed.
Garnish with coriander and it's ready to serve.