This recipe is based on a few for Kerala Fish Curry which we were given on our travels in South India. I had a small fennel bulb needing to be used and we found the combination of fennel and fish was very tasty indeed. Of course, if you don’t have fennel just leave it out and adjust cooking times accordingly.
All the recipes I’ve seen for Kerala Fish Curry include kokum (or kokam) which is sometimes referred to as Fish Tamarind in South India. If you can’t get hold of kokum, use tamarind puree instead.
For information about fennel, including nutritional benefits, check out the recipe for Fennel Chutney in ‘In a Pickle’.
125g warm water
2-3 pieces kokum
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
Knob of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 long fresh green chilli, roughly chopped
1 large red onion, peeled and quartered
25g coconut oil
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
10-12 curry leaves
1-2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 small fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons tamarind puree and 125g water (if not using kokum)
½-1 teaspoon salt according to taste
250g firm white fish, cubed
100g coconut cream
Add kokum to warm water and set aside to soak for 30 minutes.
Set TM on 10 sec/speed 7 and drop garlic, ginger and chilli onto spinning blades through hole in lid. Add onion, chop 5 sec/speed 5 and scrape down sides.
Add oil, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, chilli powder, turmeric and coriander. Sauté 3 min/120°C/REVERSE soft speed. Add fennel, kokum including soaking water (or tamarind puree and water) and salt. Cook 10 min/100°C/REVERSE soft speed.
Transfer to pan on cooktop. Add fish and cook for approx. 5 minutes depending on fish and size of chunks. Stir in coconut cream but don’t let it boil.
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