🐟 Malabar fish curry

Name: Malabar fish curry
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: India · Kerala
Ingredients: 600 g firm white fish, in chunks; 400 ml coconut milk; 3 pieces kokum or 1 tbsp tamarind paste; 15 curry leaves; 2 green chilies, slit, and 1 tsp chili powder; 1 onion, sliced, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tsp grated ginger; 1/2 tsp turmeric, salt; 1 tbsp coconut oil

Origin: India · Kerala

360kcal

per serving · 300 g

120kcal

per 100 g

33 gProtein11 g / 100 g

21 gFat7 g / 100 g

9 gCarbs3 g / 100 g

Malabar fish curry is a tangy, spicy curry from the coast of northern Kerala in which firm fish is simmered in coconut milk soured with kokum or tamarind. Curry leaves, chili and turmeric give it colour and aroma, while the coconut keeps the sauce smooth and mellow. It is traditionally served with steamed rice.

Diets

✓

No pork

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

✓

Keto-friendly3 g carbs per 100 g

✓

High protein11 g protein per 100 g — 37% of the calories

Not vegetarianbecause of: fish

Not veganbecause of: fish

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Fish

What it is made of

fishcoconut milktamarindcurry leaveschili pepperkokum

Recipe

4 servings40 min

Ingredients

600 g firm white fish, in chunks
400 ml coconut milk
3 pieces kokum or 1 tbsp tamarind paste
15 curry leaves
2 green chilies, slit, and 1 tsp chili powder
1 onion, sliced, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric, salt
1 tbsp coconut oil

Method

Soak the kokum in 100 ml warm water for 10 minutes.
Heat the oil, fry the curry leaves, onion, garlic, ginger and green chilies until soft.
Stir in the turmeric and chili powder, then add the kokum with its water and salt.
Pour in the coconut milk, bring to a gentle simmer and add the fish.
Cook for 8–10 minutes without stirring hard, until the fish is just cooked. Serve with rice.

How to make it lighter

Use half coconut milk and half water for a lighter sauce.
Serve a measured cup of rice and fill the rest of the plate with vegetables.
Choose a lean white fish — the coconut milk already provides most of the fat.

History

The dish belongs to the Malabar coast of northern Kerala, where fishing, coconut palms and the spice trade have shaped the local cooking for centuries. Fish curry with rice remains an everyday meal there.

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →