Kerala Fish Curry with Raw Mango

Mango Mania: Only a few things can flood your mind with the memories of the hot tropical summer back in Kerala than mangoes. Beyond being delicious mangoes really hold many memories of my childhood! Each time any of my fellow blogger blog about uppumanga & kanimanga it makes me wanna go back home. My best memory relating to mangoes are those of having juicy ripe mango slice with ari-puttu for breakfast, at my grandma's place. Ummmm..... I'm sure there are many a surprised faces reading the combination but believe me once you try it out, you'll know what I'm talking about. :)

In this time of the year mangoes are starting to appear in supermarket shelves in US. But the Mexican varieties available here are incomparable with the Indian counter-parts. After about two decades of trade ban on the Indian mangoes, it was in last summer that the first shipment of Indian mangoes arrived in US ports. To not much of a surprise the Indian mango boxes flew off the shelf even at five times the prices, compared to the Mexican varities, and still remained sold out.

This recipe that I'm blogging is a traditional fish recipe during the hot summer months when mangoes are plenty around. The rich sour taste of the raw mangoes replace the tamarind originally used in this typical Kerala style fish curry.

Ingredients:

Fish (Mackrell/Ayeela), cleaned pieces.... 12 pieces.

Shallots, finely chopped.... ½ cup

Grated Coconut.... 1/2 cup

Red Chillie Powder.... 3 tsp

Turmeric Powder.... 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder.... 2 tsp

Green Chillies, finely chopped.... 1-2 no:s

Raw Mangoes, diced.... 1 no:

Ginger, smashed..... 1 inch piece

Garlic, crushed.... 2-3 pods

Curry leaves... 2 sprig

Mustard Seeds.. 2 tsp

Fenugreek... 1/4 tsp

Coconut Oil... as required

Salt... to taste.

Prep Works :

1. Grind the grated coconut, green chillies & ginger with a required water to a smooth consistency and keep aside.

2. Also dice the raw mango into small bite size square pieces and keep aside.

3. In a small bowl lightly soak the spices with a about a tablespoon of water and keep aside. This step is completely optional but its the authentic was of making traditional Kerala fish curry.

Here Is How:

On medium heat, heat coconut oil in a bottom heavy Saute Pan and sputter mustard seeds and add fenugreek. Add diced shallots & garlic and fry till golden brown to this add the lightly soaked spice paste and stir of a minute. Add required water & the cleaned fish pieces & salt, bring to a slight boil. Now add grated coconut paste, when it comes to a boil add the mango pieces. Close the pan with a lid and let it cook till the fish is fully cooked. Add curry leaves & remove from heat.

Also check-out: "Maanga Chammanthy/ Mango Chutney".