This popular Seer fish curry – simmered in a moderately-spiced gravy of freshly ground coconut, ginger and raw mangoes – is sourced from the kitchens of Alleppey in Kerala. It has been the star dish at Karavalli since its inception in 1990. Guests return to the restaurant just for this dish. The standout ingredient in it is the raw mango, which, used as the souring agent, gives the curry a unique flavour and a good mouthfeel.
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Serves
4
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Cook Time
01h 40m
Ingredients
- 300 gm Seer fish, cubed
- 75 gm shallots
- 50 gm whole green chillies, slit
- 25 gm red Byadgi chilies
- 50 ml coconut oil
- 2 raw mangoes
- 1 coconut, grated
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- Pinch of turmeric powder
- Rock salt to taste
Preparation
- Grind the coconut and Byadgi chillies into a fine paste. Pass it through a strainer. Reserve.
- Wash the fish cubes and marinate with salt and turmeric powder.
- In a pan, add the coconut and chilli paste along with a splash of water. Boil for 15 minutes.
- Toss in the raw mangoes, skinned and cut into pieces, half the curry leaves and slit green chillies.
- Let it all simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- In another pan, heat the coconut oil and add the sliced shallots.
- Fry the shallots until they are golden brown. At this point, add the remaining curry.
- Tip in the fried shallots and curry leaves along with the oil in the gravy to temper it.
- Finally toss in the fish cubes and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Once the fish is cooked through, adjust seasoning
- Serve piping hot with boiled red or white rice.
Chef Naren Thimmaiah has been the face of Taj Hotels’ iconic Karavalli for over two decades, ensuring that it has a permanent spot among the world’s finest restaurants. His culinary genius has won him and his restaurant multiple prestigious awards. He is popular on television, and serves on the Board of Studies at Christ University and Srinivas University in addition to numerous hotel management institutes. He also advises the food panel of MasterChef India.
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