Tangy Butter Fish Curry — Pondicherry Meen Kuzhambu
A French-Indian Pondicherry fish curry in a tangy tamarind-tomato gravy enriched with butter and finished with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and fennel.
Indian
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Pat fish dry, rub with 0.5 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp turmeric, rest 5 minutes. Finely chop 6 shallots. Mince 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste. Slit 2 green chillies lengthways. Puree 2 medium tomatoes. Measure all spices and tamarind paste.
Bloom
Heat 3 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds, let pop 20 seconds. Add 1 tsp fennel seeds and 20 curry leaves, sizzle 10 seconds until fragrant.
Saute
Add chopped shallots, cook 3–4 minutes on medium, stirring, until soft and lightly golden. Stir in ginger-garlic paste and green chillies, cook 1 minute until raw smell fades.
Build
Add tomato puree, 2 tsp tomato paste, 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 2 tsp ground coriander, 0.5 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground fennel, remaining 0.5 tsp turmeric, and remaining 0.5 tsp salt. Cook 5 minutes on medium-low, stirring, until oil beads and masala darkens.
Simmer
Add 2 tsp tamarind paste and 400ml (1 3/4 cup) hot water, bring to gentle simmer on medium-low, stirring to dissolve tamarind. Slide fish pieces into gravy in a single layer. Cover, simmer 6–7 minutes on low until fish flakes easily and reaches 145°F internal. Spoon gravy over; do not stir.
Rest and plate
Remove from heat, rest 2 minutes covered. Garnish with 2 tbsp fresh coriander. Serve with steamed basmati rice or French baguette, lemon wedges, lime pickle, and roasted papad alongside.
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