Kerala Mathi curry/Kerala Sardine curry
Kerala Mathi Curry, also known as Kerala-style sardine curry, is a quintessential part of Kerala's culinary heritage. Prepared with fresh sardines, this curry is known for its vibrant, spicy, and tangy flavors.
Servings: 2 people
Calories:
Equipment
- Wok
Ingredients
- 6 Mathi/Sardine
- 10 to 12 Shallots
- 1 Tomato medium-sized
- ½ inch Ginger
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 2 Green chili
- Tamarind small lemon-sized
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Red chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- 3 teaspoons Coriander powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
- ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
- Curry leaves few
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut oil + 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- Wash the descaled and gutted fish thoroughly with crystal salt and turmeric to remove the sliminess.
- Crush shallots, ginger, and garlic each separately in a mortar pestle, or just pulse it in a blender.
- Blend the tomato and keep it aside (you can also use chopped tomato but I prefer to blend it). Soak tamarind in ½ cup of water.
- In a kadai or wok, add coconut oil. When the oil is hot, add fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds.
- Once the mustard seeds splutter, add crushed shallots. Add crushed ginger, garlic, and green chili once the shallots turn golden.
- When the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away, add blended tomato and all the spice powders. Let the raw smell of the spice powders go away.
- Now add the tamarind extract along with 1 cup of water. Add the required salt and let it boil.
- Once the curry starts to boil, add the sardines. Cover the wok and let the curry boil on medium flame for 10 minutes.
- Now add curry leaves, drizzle coconut oil, and turn off the flame. Cover the wok for 5 minutes. Serve curry with rice, idli, or dosa.
Video
Notes
- Allow the curry to boil as per the thickness of the curry you prefer (If you need a thick curry, let it boil until the water evaporates).
- Adjust the spice level of the curry as per your preference.
- Traditionally kudampuli/malabar tamarind (Garcinia cambogia) is used to make fish curry. But I have used normal tamarind in this curry. You can also use tamarind paste diluted in water. If using tamarind paste, then use 3 teaspoons of paste dissolved in 1 cup of water or adjust as per its tartness.