Meen Kuzhambu: Tangy and Spicy Village-Style Fish Curry

Indian Seafood Curry

Meen kuzhambu is a mouthwatering curry dish that you can make with just a few very simple ingredients. In villages, they used to make this curry in a mud pot, which elevates the taste of this curry a thousand times.

Cooking Notes:

• If you can't find kuzhambu milagai thool in your local market, you may substitute chilli powder and coriander powder as per your taste.
• The type of fish I used in this curry is red snapper (sankara meen), but you can use any variety of saltwater fish that is available in your region.

Cook Time

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons sesame oil (or any cooking oil)
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
• Handful of curry leaves
• 1 lemon-sized tamarind
• 5 tablespoons kuzhambu milagai thool/kulambu chilli masala
• 500 grams saltwater fish, cleaned and cut into pieces
• Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Soak the tamarind in water for 30 minutes and extract the juice. Add kuzhambu chilli masala, salt, some onions, and tomatoes. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once the seeds start to splutter, add the remaining onions and curry leaves. Saute until the onions become glossy; then, add the tomatoes and saute again until they turn mushy.
3. Add the tamarind mix into the pan and cover with a lid. Allow it to boil over medium heat until the raw smell of tamarind dissipates (around 15 minutes).
4. Add the fish pieces and let it cook for another 3 minutes. If it boils beyond 3 minutes, the fish will crumble.
5. Remove from heat and set aside for 30 minutes. After that, serve the curry with some hot rice and enjoy your meal.

Photo Guide

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