Fish Curry (without coconut)

Although Konkani style coconut based fish curries have a very distinctive flavor, this version of fish curry is very simple to cook as well as delicious and healthy. My husband who didn't grow up eating seafood every day like I did, prefers fish curries that do not smell fishy :) I realized that he enjoys onion based curries more than coconut. He thinks that the spices used in the curry, removes most of the fishy smell! 

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless tilapia fillet (about 4 fillets)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 cloves
1/2"cinnamon
1 large onion
2 medium tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic
1"ginger
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
curry leaves for garnishing
oil


How it's made:
Cut fish into pieces. Rub salt and turmeric powder and set aside.
Roughly chop onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic.
In a frying skillet ( I use iron skillet), heat 2-3 tsp oil. Add cloves and cinnamon. Fry for a few seconds and add onions. Fry until they are light brown. Add ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute. Add tomatoes and 1/2 tsp salt. Salt helps to break down the tomatoes faster. Cook until the mixture is soft and mushy. Add chili powder, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Fry for a minute or two. Cool and blend this mixture with 1/4-1/2 cup water in a food processor/ blender until smooth.
Transfer ground paste to iron skillet. Add 1/2 cup water to food processor/blender and rinse. Add this water to the ground paste. Mix well and bring to boil. Add fish pieces. Cover and boil until fish is cooked. ( about 5-6 mins). Give it a quick stir and serve with plain white rice.

Serves: 4-6

Jhalke Alle Piyava Ambat (Konkani Fish Curry)

Fish curry was almost an everyday dish at my Ajja's & Bapama's (my Father's parents) place. Growing up, my school was right next door to Bapama's & I had the privileged to eat fresh home cooked lunch everyday. Since Bapama's house consisted of joint family and extended family members, fried fish was out of question.
Back home, fish curry was cooked in an earthen pot called as "Kulle" in Konkani. It gave a very distinctive taste to the whole dish & the flavor was just incredible. Cleaning the dish was very easy & no odor was left behind. (I now rinse dishes with vinegar after cooking!)
Some of the popular Konkani fish curries are Alle Piyava Ambat (coconut based curry made with ginger & onions), Piyava Ambat (coconut based curry seasoned with fried onions) & Phanna Upkari (chilli based sauce with spices) which I will post down the road.

Ingredients:

4 tilapia fillet (approx 1lb)
1 cup fresh grated coconut
6 dried red chillies, roasted (I use byadgi)
marble size tamarind
1" ginger, chopped fine
2 green chillies, cut in half
1 small onion, chopped
salt to taste
1/2 tsp coconut oil (optional)

How it's made:

Wash, rinse & cut fish into cubes.
Grind coconut, red chillies & tamarind to a smooth paste.
In a wide pan, mix in ginger, green chilli, onion, ground masala and salt to taste. Add a little water at a time to make a thick gravy. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Check for salt.
Add fish & give one quick stir.

Boil but stir only if required since fish tends to break apart easily.
Drizzle with coconut oil & serve hot with white rice.

Serves: 4-6

Note: I used tilapia since no one at home likes fish with bone in. This curry is traditionally made with pomfrets, king fish or mackerels.

Shrimp Balchao

A teaspoon of this goes a long way! This dish turns out very spicy and I prefer to cook on summer/fall days since the house needs to be well ventilated while frying the ground paste. The taste is quite similar to shrimp pickle & stays well refrigerated for a few weeks.

This recipe reminds me of Amma's (my Mother) Shrimp pickle which was always in her refrigerator during Monsoon days when the fish mongers didn't show up at her door.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb shrimp,peeled and deveined
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 sprig curry leaves
10-12 dried red chillies (byadgi)
1"cinnamon
8 cloves
4 green cardamom
1-2 tsp pepper corns
1 tsp jeera(cumin seeds)
1/2 tsp haldi(turmeric powder)
1"ginger
4-6 cloves garlic
1 tsp vinegar
oil
salt to taste

How it's made:

Grind red chillies, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, pepper corns, jeera, haldi, ginger, garlic, vinegar to a fine paste with very little water.
In a kadai or skillet, fry onions until light brown. Add ground masala & fry for atleast 20 mins. The more you fry the masala, the better the taste. Add tomatoes & curry leaves. After the tomatoes turn mushy, add shrimp. Do not add water. Cover & cook until shrimp is cooked- maybe 10 mins. Shrimp turns to be chewy if over cooked. Adjust salt.

Sungta Human/ Sungta Hinga Udka Randayi/ Shrimp Curry

Bapama (grandmother in Konkani), who is my inspiration behind many things was always at her best. Her charming, energetic, generous, kind-hearted, lovable  affectionate personality was loved by one and all. There are innumerable ways to describe her and she is one of my most favorite person. Bapama's house was always open with countless visitors visiting the family every year but she always treated everyone equally. She remembered everyone's favorite food and spent substantial time cooking with a lot of passion.

One summer break when I stayed with her, she treated me with the most amazing dishes. Draped in pure cotton saree and a white blouse, she had a towel on her shoulder to wipe out the sweat in her little, dim lit kitchen. She never asked for a fan or extra ventilation. One of my favorite dish was "Sungta Human" and Bapama made sure she made with fresh grated coconut and good quality shrimp. I could tell the love that went into making the dish with jumbo size shrimp - you had to taste to believe it!  That was the one and only year I got to try the gigantic sized shrimp and I was overwhelmed with the size. The thought of asking for the recipe never came to my mind. It was my summer break & I was too busy having fun. Good company, good food, no studying, no routine, what more can one ask for at a young youthful age? Listening to music, watching movies, chit-chatting and giggling was all that we did. (Hanging around would be a better term as addressed by current generation).

Mid morning, Bapama would bring us a glass of freshly squeezed lemon juice with a pinch of saffron - an extraordinary drink! Followed by lunch, evening snack & a line- up of fabulous dishes for dinner. When we sat back late at night watching TV & playing cards, she would walk down the hallway from her bedroom to the living room with her red rectangular flashlight politely reminding that we had to wake up early the next morning to eat breakfast and I did (unwillingly). But I made sure, I never disappointed her.

I don't think I valued the effort she put in but I did realize a few years ago the pain & execution it takes to entertain and cook. Every time when we have guests at home, I always remember her and reminiscing those memories, reminds me to put in my best. Bapama, you are the BEST and this one's for you.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 cup fresh grated coconut
6 dried red chillies,roasted
marble sized tamarind
1/2 tsp hing (asafoetida)
1 tsp coconut oil
salt to taste

How it's made:

Grind coconut, red chillies and tamarind to a fine paste with a little warm water. In a pan cook shrimp for 2 mins, then add ground masala. Boil for a few mins, approximately 5-8 mins. Do not over cook. Shrimp tends to get chewy if overcooked. Add salt to taste and asafoetida. Drizzle with coconut oil. Serve with white rice. [I substituted with instant Shevai (Rice Noodles)].

Some people avoid using coconut oil due to health reasons. Canola oil can be substituted but coconut oil gives a very distinctive taste & aroma.
Bapama used to add one small chopped tomato. I've tried Bapama's way (which I call Bapama's Sungta Randayi), it gives a divine flavor to the curry.

Serves: 4

Fish Rava Fry (Konkani Fish Fry)

Seafood has always been my favorite food. Growing up & living on the coastal area of Karnataka we had seafood every day of the week unless it was a religious day.  A small piece of fish at every meal would be a fulfilling enjoyable meal. Amma cooked different variations of fish fry but this one is my all time favorite. I find the crunchiness of  Rava very appetizing. Deep frying gives the fish a very crunchy coating but I prefer to shallow fry to keep it healthy!

Ingredients:

2 medium size King fish
1-2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric powder)
1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
1/2 cup rava/sooji/semolina
oil for frying

How it's made:

Cut fish into 1/2"thick slices. Wash under running water. Pat dry. Add a tsp of water to the chilli powder, haldi, hing, coriander powder, salt & make a paste. Rub the paste onto the fish & set aside for a few mins. Roll fish in rava until well coated & pan fry in a few tsp of oil for 4-5 mins on either side on medium high heat. Drain on paper towel. Serve hot.

Serves: 4 -6

Fish Biryani

Fish Biryani was a favorite when I was growing up. Amma cooked this occasionally on a Sunday morning since her recipe was very elaborate. She made it with Pomfret (also known as "Manji" in Konkani) and it's the best Fish Biryani I've ever tasted. Now that everyone prefers boneless fish, I make it with Tilapia. My recipe isn't as elaborate as Amma's but I like recipes that are simple and easy to cook. Amma made all fresh spices from scratch but I am a big fan of "Shan" masala and use it quite frequently in my cooking. I will try to cook and post Amma's recipe on a lazy Sunday!

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless tilapia (about 3-4 fillets)
2 cups basmati rice, washed and soaked for 20 mins
2 medium onion, chopped fine
2 tbsp ginger, chopped fine
2 tbsp garlic, chopped fine
2-3 green chillies, chopped fine
1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped
1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped
2-3 tbsp yogurt
1 packet Shan Fish Biryani masala
Oil
Salt to taste

How it's made:

Boil 4 quarts of water in a large pot, add salt and basmati rice. Cook rice until 3/4 cooked. Drain water and set rice aside. (Rice can be cooked in rice cooker also).
In a wide heavy bottom pan, heat oil. Fry onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies. When light brown, add shan fish biryani masala, coriander leaves and mint leaves. Fry for a minute. Add yogurt. Mix well. Add fish cut into cubes. Stir well once, cover and let it cook for 10 mins. Add the cooked rice on top of fish curry & cover dish with a tight fitting lid and let it cook on simmer for 10-15 mins.

While serving, scoop from top to bottom with rice and fish since fish tends to break very easily. Serve hot with raita.

Serves: 6