Monday, January 8, 2024

Tirunelveli Meen kulambu

 Fish curry or fish kulambu or Meen kulambu (Tamil).

There are a lot of varieties of fish curry in India and Sri Lanka and all over Asia. 
This particular dish is my most favorite as this is my amma's recipe.
This is how meen kulambu is made in Tirunelveli.
Nowadays fish curry is made like a thick curry in high-end restaurants with a glossy layer of oil floating above.   But originally the villagers of Tamilnadu make it like a watery curry , so that it stretches out to more plates at home. One shouldn't underestimate the taste of this native fish curry, by comparing it with the thokku like oily hotel style curry. This Tirunelveli fish curry is nothing fancy but gives us the 100% nutritional value of the fish.  We can eat this fish curry almost all days of the week and stay healthy and beautiful, By saying this, I won't say that , I don't prepare an oily fish curry, but I do it occasionally, as it is a delicacy and I love fish in any form .LOL,ЁЯЩВ

Click to see my Youtube video on how to make 'Tirunelveli fish curry, Fish fry and Red snapper cutting technique'  'родிро░ுроиெро▓்ро╡ேро▓ி рооீрой் роХுро┤роо்рокு,  рокொро▒ிроЪ்роЪ рооீрой், роЪроЩ்роХро░ா рооீрой் ро╡ெроЯ்роЯுроо் рооுро▒ை '




Ingredients:
Fish - 3/4 kg (1.5 lb))
(choose any fish like Red snapper, Sea Bass, Butter fish ,king fish)
Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds- 1/2 tsp
Tamarind - 1 lime size
Red chilli powder -1 tsp
Coriander powder-3 tsp
Turmeric powder- 3/4 tsp
Tomato - 2
Green chillies -2 (optional)
Curry leaves- 2 sprigs.
Garlic - 1
To grind:
Shredded coconut -1/2 cup
Shallot - 4
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp



родேро╡ைропாрой рокொро░ுроЯ்роХро│்: (роХுро┤роо்рокு + рокொро▒ிроХ்роХ)
рооீрой்  - 3/4 роХிро▓ோ  (1.5 рокро╡ுрог்роЯு))
(роЪроЩ்роХро░ா, роХொроЯுро╡ா, роХொродிрок்рокு, роЪாро│ை рооீрой், ро╡роЮ்роЪிро░роо்,роОрой роПродாро╡родு)
роиро▓்ро▓ெрог்рогெроп் - 1 рооேроЬைроХ்роХро░рог்роЯி 
роХроЯுроХு - 1 родேроХ்роХро░рог்роЯி 
ро╡ெрои்родропроо்  1/2 родேроХ்роХро░рог்роЯி 
рокுро│ி  - 1 роЪிрой்рой роОро▓ுрооிроЪ்роЪை роЕро│ро╡ு 
рооிро│роХாроп் родூро│்  -1 родேроХ்роХро░рог்роЯி 
роХொрод்родрооро▓்ро▓ி родூро│் -3 родேроХ்роХро░рог்роЯி 
роороЮ்роЪро│் родூро│் - 3/4 родேроХ்роХро░рог்роЯி 
родроХ்роХாро│ி - 2
рооிро│роХாроп்  -2
роХро▒ிро╡ேрок்рокிро▓ை - 2 роЗрогுроХ்роХு 
рокூрог்роЯு - 1 
роороЪாро▓ா роЕро░ைроХ்роХ :
родுро░ுро╡ிроп родேроЩ்роХாроп் -1/2 роХрок் 
роиாроЯ்роЯு ро╡ெроЩ்роХாропроо்  - 4
роЪீро░роХроо் - 1 родேроХ்роХро░рог்роЯி 

Method:
Wash the fish and remove all the fins and scales by a knife.
Then slice it into big chunks.
Rinse and keep aside.
Choose the head, tail and belly portion of fish for curry. The other pieces can be reserved for frying.
Extract juice from tamarind and add chilli powder, coriander powder, pinch of turmeric powder, salt and mix well.
Heat the sesame oil in vessel .Add mustard and fenugreek seeds. After the nustard seeds crackle add the curry leaves .
Then add chopped tomato and saute it for 1 minute.
Add tamarind juice mixture and let it boil for 5 minutes.
Then add the finely ground coconut-onion paste.
Immediately after this starts boiling add the fish pieces.
cover the vessel and simmer the heat.
Keep the curry gets cooked in simmer heat for 15 minutes.
DO NOT stir the curry after adding the fish, otherwise you may end up with broken pieces.
Then put off fire.Garnish with chopped green chillies and curry leaves and serve hot with rice or chapathi or Idly or dosai .


Serving suggestions:

Serves 3 people.
Serve with fried fish , a vegetable stir fry or any keerai spinach masiyal and ripe mango as side dish.

Tamil meaning for fishes:

shark -pillai sura.
sardine - chalai.
anchovy-nethili
Butter fish- kuthippu,
king fish- seela / vanjiram
Red snapper - Romeo, sankara, kili meen,
Sea Bas - Koduva

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