Mangalore Fish Curry

I watched this receipe on some channel few years back and liked the process at very first sight. The red chillies and curry leaves soaked in tangy spicy gravy will add a special flavour to the fish. I am sure this will be a mouth watering and a tongue tinkling dish to all the fish lovers like me.

Note: Always serve fish curry with hot steamed rice and chopped onions.

Ingredients
Tilapia fresh farm fillets - 1 Pound
Tamarind pulp - 4 spoons
Tomatoes (wine red) - 2 Large
Coconut Milk - 4 tspoons
Onions - 2 Big
Red Chillies - 6
Curry Leaves - 5 (chop them small for more flavour)
Ginger Garlic paste - 2 spoons
Cilantro - as desired (more u add more the flavour)
Turmeric - 1 tablespoon
Red chilly powder - 3 tablespoons (varies as per the spice level)
Methi (Fenugreek powder ) - 1/2 tspoon
Garam Masala - 1 tspoon
Salt - as required
Lemon juice - 1 tspoon
Oil - 5 tspoons

Procedure:

• Quickly rinse the fresh water tilapia fillets under running water.
  Note: Handle fish with care as it is the most tenderest meat.
• Now cut each side of fillet in to three equal halves. For gravies, always use little over the medium sized pieces.
• Marinate the cut fish pieces with turmeric, red chilly powder, salt and lemon juice.
• Allow the pieces to absorb the flavours for 30 mints or 15 mints if you are in a hurry to cook.
• Now take a saucepan and add little oil as required. Once the oil gets heated, add chopped onions, red chillies and curry leaves.
• When onions turn translucent, add a spoon of ginger garlic paste and stir well for a minute.
• Now add two chopped tomatoes or you can substitute with tomato puree/paste (equivalent amount).
  Note: You can skip tomatoes if you think it will make curry more tangy.
• Stir fry the mixture in a very low flame. Add little water to avoid sticking to the bottom of the sauce pan.
• Cover the pan and stir occasionally.
• Now add the tamarind pulp to the mixture and stir again.
• Depending on the desired gravy consistency, add water.
• Now add half a spoon of methi/fenugreek powder to the gravy (do not add more as it makes gravy bitter).
  My Mom's Health Tip: Fenugreek powder is very good for health and goes really well with sour taste. So, always include a little amount of it in all your sour curries.
• Now add coconut milk to the gravy and let the gravy/sauce boil for few more minutes until the oil oozes out.
• Now uncover the pan and add the marinated fish pieces to the gravy.
  Note: Do not stir the pieces as they tend to get mashed easily.
• Cover the pan and let the fish pieces cook in the spicy and tangy gravy under a slow flame (approximately 10 mints).
• Check for the salt and add if required (tangy curries tend to absorb more salt).
• Switch off the stove.
• Now transfer the fish curry in to a dry serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves and red chillies.
  Note: For best results, serve the curry after 3 hrs of cooking.
• Serve the curry with hot steamed rice and crunchy chopped onion slices.