{"id":11822,"date":"2012-12-15T22:52:51","date_gmt":"2012-12-16T03:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/?p=11822"},"modified":"2021-10-05T12:15:34","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T16:15:34","slug":"fish-chili-curry-or-meen-mulaku-curry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/fish-chili-curry-or-meen-mulaku-curry\/","title":{"rendered":"Fish Chili Curry or Meen Mulaku Curry | Kerala Style"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11823\" title=\"Fish chili curry\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Fish-chilly-curry.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"475\" height=\"713\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This fish curry gives the best kick&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>It was an incredible day today. I went for a Middle Eastern food festival and had a taste of almost all popular dishes in the Middle East. I am totally in love with Kabsa, Saudi Arabian speciality; it was like biryani: long basmati rice and chicken, unlike Indian biryani this didin&#8217;t have any masala yet it tasted so delectable. I cannot wait to try it in my kitchen, I&#8217;ve already started searching for a good recipe for making kabsa. They had a lot of lamb and beef dishes, samosas, buns stuffed with beef, stuffed grape leaves, pastries, sweets etc etc. I also had a taste of Arabian coffee, well I was expecting something strong but it was a very light coffee and aromatic, they add cardamom, cloves, saffron to their coffee&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Last week, I had a craving for fish curry and Kappa (tapioca), you all know that if I get the craving I&#8217;ve to succumb to it. This time, I wanted to try a different fish curry recipe that I got from a Kerala cooking show (Taste of Kerala). It&#8217;s called Meen Mulaku curry or fish chili curry. The main ingredient in this recipe is kashmiri red chili powder which gives the intense red and spicy taste. Only a very few ingredients are used to make this fish curry, but the taste of this curry was just amazing. I had kappa or tapioca along with this curry, believe me this is my new favorite fish curry.<\/p>\n<p>I added sardines (Chala) fish, but you can add almost any kind of fish for making this curry. Indian Mackerel (Ayala), tuna, pomfret can be added too. I even tried with mussel, it was really good. Well, I prefer fish rather than mussel or shellfish.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fish chili curry or Meen Mulaku Curry<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Kappa Puzhukku or Tapioca cooked with ground coconut recipe is<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/kappa-puzhukku-or-tapioca-in-ground-coconut-south-indian-style\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11824\" title=\"fish-chili curry\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/fish-chilly-curry.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"475\" height=\"317\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>To grind to paste:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Small Onions- 8<\/li>\n<li>Kashmiri red chili powder- 2 tbsp or according to your spice level<\/li>\n<li>Fennel Powder- 1 tbsp<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>While cooking<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sardines or any fish- 10 small sardines or 8 fish pieces<\/li>\n<li>Coconut oil- 2 tbsp<\/li>\n<li>Fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp<\/li>\n<li>Warm water- 3\/4 cup<\/li>\n<li>Tomatoes, chopped- 2<\/li>\n<li>Curry leaves- 1 sprig<\/li>\n<li>Tamarind, fresh- 3-inch slice soaked in 1\/2 cup warm water or (use Coccum or Kodampuli- 4 pieces)<\/li>\n<li>Salt- 1 1\/2 tsp<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Instruction<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If using sardines, remove the internal organs, sprinkle some salt to the fish, and rinse well.<\/li>\n<li>If using fresh tamarind, soak it in 1\/4 cup warm water for 5 minutes, mash it into the water and strain the juice.<\/li>\n<li>If using coccum or kodampuli, soak 4 pieces in 1\/4 cup water.<\/li>\n<li>If using concentrated tamarind paste use very less maybe 1 tsp.<\/li>\n<li>Grind small onions, Kashmiri red chili powder, and fennel powder to a smooth paste, add 3 tbsp water while grinding. Keep aside.<\/li>\n<li>Place a saucepan or clay pot over medium heat, add oil and let oil turn hot.<\/li>\n<li>Add fenugreek seeds, saute for a couple of seconds, don&#8217;t brown it.<\/li>\n<li>Add the ground paste to the pan, saute it well in oil for 5 minutes till the raw smell of chili powder\/onions goes away, make sure not to burn the paste.<\/li>\n<li>Add 3\/4 cup water, let the gravy come to a slight boil.<\/li>\n<li>Add tomatoes, combine well.<\/li>\n<li>Add the fresh tamarind extract or coccum pieces, combine well.<\/li>\n<li>Add curry leaves and salt.<\/li>\n<li>Now, add the fish to the gravy.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11826\" title=\"making-fish curry\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/making-fish-curry1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"475\" height=\"317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/making-fish-curry1.jpg 475w, https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/making-fish-curry1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/making-fish-curry1-84x55.jpg 84w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 475px) 100vw, 475px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Cook covered for 15 minutes or till the fish has cooked well and the gravy has thickened.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11825\" title=\"making fish curry\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/making-fish-curry.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"475\" height=\"317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/making-fish-curry.jpg 475w, https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/making-fish-curry-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/making-fish-curry-84x55.jpg 84w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 475px) 100vw, 475px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t stir too much as the fish would break apart, you could swirl the pan to combine.<\/li>\n<li>If you want you could add 1\/4 to 1\/2 tsp of ground pepper as well.<\/li>\n<li>Taste and add more salt if needed, swirl the pan to combine.<\/li>\n<li>Remove the pan from the heat and keep covered for some time.<\/li>\n<li>This curry tastes really incredible with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/kappa-puzhukku-or-tapioca-in-ground-coconut-south-indian-style\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kappa or tapioca.<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Not to mention, this fish curry tastes better the next day!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Tips<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make sure to use Kashmiri red chili powder, regular chili powder is very spicy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"easyrecipeWrapper mceNonEditable\">\n<div class=\"easyrecipe mceNonEditable\" data-rating=\"0\"> \t<link itemprop=\"image\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Fish-chili-curry.jpg\" \/>\n<div class=\"item ERName\">Fish Chili Curry or Meen Mulaku curry<\/div>\n<div class=\"ERClear\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"ERHead\"><span class=\"xlate\">Recipe Type<\/span>: <span class=\"type\">Main<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"ERHead\">Cuisine: <span class=\"cuisine\">Indian<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"ERHead\">Author: <span class=\"author\">Thasneen<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"ERHead\">Prep time: <time itemprop=\"prepTime\" datetime=\"PT5M\">5 mins<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"ERHead\">Cook time: <time itemprop=\"cookTime\" datetime=\"PT30M\">30 mins<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"ERHead\">Total time: <time itemprop=\"totalTime\" datetime=\"PT35M\">35 mins<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"ERIngredients\">\n<div class=\"ERIngredientsHeader\">Ingredients<\/div>\n<ul class=\"ingredients\">\n<li class=\"ERSeparator\">[b]To grind to paste:[\/b]<\/li>\n<li class=\"ingredient\">Small Onions- 8<\/li>\n<li class=\"ingredient\">Kashmiri red chili powder- 2 tbsp or according to your spice level<\/li>\n<li class=\"ingredient\">Fennel Powder- 1 tbsp<\/li>\n<li class=\"ingredient\">Water- 1\/4 cup<\/li>\n<li class=\"ERSeparator\">[b]While cooking[\/b]<\/li>\n<li class=\"ingredient\">Sardines or any fish- 10 small sardines or 8 fish pieces<\/li>\n<li class=\"ingredient\">Coconut oil- 2 tbsp<\/li>\n<li class=\"ingredient\">Fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp<\/li>\n<li class=\"ingredient\">Curry leaves- 1 sprig<\/li>\n<li class=\"ingredient\">Tamarind, fresh- 3 inch slice soaked in 1\/2 cup warm water or (use Coccum or Kodampuli- 4 pieces)<\/li>\n<li class=\"ingredient\">Salt- 1 1\/2 tsp<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ERInstructions\">\n<div class=\"ERInstructionsHeader\">Instructions<\/div>\n<div class=\"instructions\">\n<ol>\n<li class=\"instruction\">If using sardines, remove the internal organs, sprinkle some salt to the fish and rinse well.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">If using fresh tamarind, soak it in 1\/2 cup warm water for 5 minutes, squeeze the soaked tamarind in water to extract the juice and strain the juice.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">If using coccum or kodampuli, soak 4 pieces in 1\/4 cup water.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">If using concentrated tamarind paste use very less may be 1 tsp.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">Grind small onions, Kashmiri red chili powder and fennel powder to a smooth paste, add 1\/4 cup water while grinding. Keep aside.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">Place a saucepan or clay pot over medium heat, add oil and let oil turn hot.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">Add fenugreek seeds, saute for a couple of seconds, don&#8217;t brown it.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">Add the ground paste to the pan, saute well in oil for 5 minutes till the raw smell of red chili powder\/onions goes away, make sure not to burn the paste.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">Add 3\/4 cup warm water, let the gravy come to a slight boil.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">Add the fresh tamarind extract or coccum pieces, combine well.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">Add curry leaves &amp; salt, combine well.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">Now, add the fish to the gravy.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">Cook covered for 15 minutes till the fish has cooked well and the gravy has thickened.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">Don&#8217;t stir too much as the fish would break apart, you could swirl the pan to combine.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">If you want this curry to be spicy, you could add 1\/4 to 1\/2 tsp of ground pepper as well.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">Taste and add more salt if needed, swirl the pan to combine.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">Remove the pan from the heat and keep covered for sometime.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">This curry tastes really incredible with Kappa or tapioca.<\/li>\n<li class=\"instruction\">Not to mention, this fish curry tastes better the next day!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ERNutrition\"><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"ERNotesHeader\">Notes<\/div>\n<div class=\"ERNotes\">Make sure to use Kashmiri red chili powder, regular chili powder is very spicy.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"endeasyrecipe\" style=\"display: none;\">3.5.3251<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"easyrecipeBelow mceNonEditable\"><input class=\"ERInsertLine mceNonEditable\" type=\"button\" value=\"Insert line below\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This fish curry gives the best kick&#8230; It was an incredible day today. I went for a Middle Eastern food festival and had a taste of almost all popular dishes in the Middle East. I am totally in love with Kabsa, Saudi Arabian speciality; it was like biryani: long basmati rice and chicken, unlike Indian &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21052,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[382,661,27,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fish-by-ingredient","category-fish-curry-by-category","category-indian-cuisine","category-kerala-cuisine","course-main","cuisine-indian-cuisine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}