Ingredients-1
Fish fillets/pieces – 1 lb
Tamarind juice – made from 2-3 tamarind (lemon sized tamarind ball or 1 tblsp of tamarind pulp)
Tomato – 1 (optional)
Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 strand
Oil (preferably coconut oil/sesame oil) – 3-4 tblsp
Green Chillies/banana peppers – (2 for garnish)
Cilantro – for garnish
Other veggies that can be added – Brinjal pieces, drumstick, banana peppers or raw mangoes
Salt (preferably sea salt) – to taste
Ingredients-2 (12 spice)
Dry/Fresh Coconut – 3 -4 tblsp
Corriander seeds – 2.5 tblsp
Shallot/ Pearl Onions (sambhar onions) – 5-6
Garlic – 5-6 cloves
Ginger – 1/4 ” piece
Dry Red Chillies – 7 (or as needed)
Pepper – 5-7 seeds
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 2 strands
Carom seeds – 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 5-8 seeds
Sardines Fish Curry
Method
1. Heat oil in a small pan and roast the grated coconut with the onions, garlic, ginger and dry red chillies till the coconut turns nice and brown. Set aside to cool.
2. Similarly roast the corriander seeds, black peppercons, curry leaves, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and carom seeds too. ( Roasting each ingredient seperately is better but if you do not have time, you can roast everything together.)
3. Once everything cools grind everything together (all the spices under ingredients -2) to a fine paste and keep aside.
4. Heat little oil in a clay pot/deep pan. If you are adding any veggies, saute the veggies and tomato pieces till it is partly mashed up.
5. Add the ground spice masala, asafoetida and tamarind juice. Add required water and bring it to a boil.
6. Check for salt and add the fish pieces. Cover and cook it for 5-10 minutes.
7. Reduce the flame to the lowest and let the gravy simmer for another 15-20 minutes till the oil seperates from the gravy.
8. Heat little coconut/sesame oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add this to the gravy.
9. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro and split green chillies. The final curry should have equal amout of spiciness from the masala, tanginess from the tamarind and salt.
10. Let the gravy rest for 2 hours before serving for the spices to enter the fish pieces nicely. Serve with hot plain white rice.