2in1 Smelt Fish Gravy - Fry in a Claypot /2in1 Smelt Fish Curry - Fry in a Claypot/2in1 Nethili Meen kuzhlambu - Varuval Claypot/ 2in1 Anchovy Fish Curry - Fry Claypot

Fish is my all time favorite food from childhood and i always love to cook Fish kuzhlambu in different ways,when i started cooking i love a lot to cook in claypot, my chennai ammachi(My moms mom) she used to cook Greens/Keerai in claypot and it taste superbbb, Hmmmm about claypot when my husband asked me to prepare a packing list for US after our marriage, Claypot was the first thing i noted in the List , he made fun of me by seeing the list later when i prepared the fish kuzhlambu for him (in the claypot) he really loved the taste and the next time when we visited India he asked to purchase one more claypot. Today also i have prepared the fish curry in my moms style using the Claypot. About my mom she is a fast cook she doesnt like to spend much time in kitchen so her cooking always involves easy steps like grinding most of the ingredients and finish cooking in couple of mins. I have made some changes in this recipe and used few of the items for sauteing since it gave me extra flavor. Hope you all like this version of fish curry.

Ingredients

Smelt Fish - 1/2 lb
Pearl Onion - 15 nos or Big onion - 1/2 small size
Garlic - 4 pods
Roma Tomato - 1 small
Coriander Leaves - 2 strands
Tamarind Juice - 2 ts
2% Reduced Fat Milk - 4 ts or Coconut Milk - 2 ts
Salt for taste
Gingelly Oil - 2 ts


To Grind

Big Onion - 2 nos medium size
Clustered Tomato - 1 no medium size
Garlic - 5 pods
Curry Leaves - 2 twig
Coriander Leaves - 2 strands
Turmeric pwd - 1/4 ts
Red chili pwd - 1 1/2 ts
Coriander pwd - 1 ts
Fennel pwd - 1/4 ts

Tempering

Vadaga Thalippu - 1 ts

(or)

Mustard - 1/4 ts
Cumin Seeds - 2 pinch
Fenugreek seeds - a pinch
Asfoetida/Hing - a pinch
Curry Leaves - 1 twig

Method

1. Wash the fish with a ts of vinegar,1/4 ts of turmeric pwd and a pinch of salt, then marinate the fish with a pinch of turmeric,1/4 ts of red chili pwd and 1/4 ts of salt and keep aside.

2. Finely chop the Pearl Onion,Garlic,tomatoes for cooking and for grinding chop the Big onion,tomatoes,curry leaves,coriander leaves in medium size.

3. Coarsely grind the items under the TO GRIND list and keep aside, wash the mixer with 1 cup of water and save the water for the kuzhlambu.

4. In a medium heat place a cooking clay pot, add 2 ts of Oil(Preferred Gingelly oil) and add the tempering items as per the order, then add the Chopped Garlic fry for 10 sec then add the chopped pearl onions and fry till it turns to golden brown color with a pinch of salt.

5. Now add the grounded masala and fry till the raw smell goes off, then add the chopped tomatoes and saute it for 2mins, then add the tamarind juice along with the masala water,adjust the seasoning, stir it occasionally and wait till the oil comes out and the curry is reduced to half.

6. Add the milk to it and stir it nicely, add the chopped coriander leaves and stir it , now put the fish one by one slowly and ensure the fish is fully covered with the kuzhlambu and close the lid and turn the flame to low.

7. Let it boil for 1 mins then switch off the gas and dont open the lid, after 2mins open the lid and garnish with some more coriander leaves. If you are cooking in the clay pot then dont transfer the kuzhlambu/curry to the other vessel let it be in the claypot, the claypot cooking always gives extra flavor to the cooking.

Kuzhlambu Fish Fry - Varuval

1. Take the Fish from the curry and in a separate pan add a ts of oil and fry it. Always the Curry/Kuzhlambu fish tastes excellent when you fry it.

Tips

> Fresh Fish and tomatoes gives a awesome taste to the curry.

> If you are going to make Fish curry then make it during the eve or night and eat on the next day so that you can enjoy the real fish flavor.

> Never overcook the fish, some fish doesn't require the 2mins time also, Vanjaram or king fish will be cooked in 2mins, and Sankara/Red snapper in 1 min.