Kerala Fish Curry (Meen Curry)മീൻ കറി

Name: Kerala Fish Curry (Meen Curry)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Kerala
Ingredients: 500 g Firm fish (kingfish/seer), steaks; 8 Shallots, sliced; 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic, chopped; 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 1/2 tsp Turmeric; 1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds; 3 pieces Kudampuli (Malabar tamarind); 2 sprigs Curry leaves; 3 tbsp Coconut oil; to taste Salt

⏱ Prep 15m🍳 Cook 25m🍽 Serves 4🌿 Non-veg

Video: Get Curried (YouTube)

Kerala meen curry is a tangy, ruby-red fish curry cooked in a clay pot (meen chatti) with kokum-like kudampuli (Malabar tamarind), coconut and a slick of coconut oil. Sharp, spicy and best a day old, when the flavours deepen.

📍 Make it in Plano

This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.

Finding Desi spots near Plano…

Ingredients

▪Firm fish (kingfish/seer), steaks500 g
▪Shallots, sliced8
▪Ginger-garlic, chopped1 tbsp
▪Kashmiri chilli powder2 tbsp
▪Turmeric1/2 tsp
▪Fenugreek seeds1/4 tsp
▪Kudampuli (Malabar tamarind)3 pieces
▪Curry leaves2 sprigs
▪Coconut oil3 tbsp
▪Saltto taste

🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions

Kudampuli (Malabar/fish tamarind) is sold dried at Kerala/South-Indian stores; regular tamarind is a fair substitute (use less).
Kingfish, seer, mackerel or any firm fish works; avoid delicate flesh that breaks.
Coconut oil is the defining flavour — use it if you can.

Method

1Soak the kudampuli in warm water. Make a paste of the chilli powder and turmeric with a little water.
2Heat coconut oil in a clay pot or heavy pan, splutter fenugreek, then fry shallots, ginger-garlic and curry leaves until soft.
3Lower the heat, add the chilli-turmeric paste and fry briefly until the oil turns red (do not burn).
4Add the soaked kudampuli with its water plus a cup more, and salt; simmer 5 minutes.
5Slide in the fish, swirl the pot (don’t stir much), cover and simmer 10–12 minutes until the gravy thickens and coats the fish. Drizzle a little raw coconut oil and fresh curry leaves. Best after resting a few hours.

A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.