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
Prep time | Cook time | Ready in | Yields |
---|---|---|---|
10 min | 20 min | 30 min | 4 to 5 people |
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
- Soak the tamarind in water for 30 minutes and extract the juice. Add kuzhambu chilli masala, salt, some onions, and tomatoes. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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).
- Add the fish pieces and let it cook for another 3 minutes. If it boils beyond 3 minutes, the fish will crumble.
- Remove from heat and set aside for 30 minutes. After that, serve the curry with some hot rice and enjoy your meal.
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