Sardine fish curry – Kerala style

Prepration time: 30 Minutes

Persons served: 6 Persons

Cuisine: Kerala

INGREDIENTS

Mathi / Sardine / Fish : 500g

Mustard Seeds : 1/2tsp

Ginger : 2tsp finely chopped

Shallots (Chuvanully / Sambar onion) : 10 Sliced

Garlic : 8 cloves

Chilli powder : 2 tsp

Coriander powder : 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek Powder (Uluvapodi) : 1/4 tsp

Gambooge (Kudam puli) : 2 piece

Curry leaves : 4 spring

Tomatoes : Medium sized sliced

Salt : 1/2 tsp

Coconut Oil : 2 tbsp

Greenchilly : 3 nos vertically sliced

Don't know about an ingredient ? Check our food dictionary!

This is a simple recipe to prepare an authentic and traditional Kerala sardine fish curry recipe. You may use it as a side dish with Kappa (Tapioca)/hot Kerala rice/Pathiri/Porotta/Appams. Sardinia (popularly known as Mathi, Chaala in Kerala) is one of the cheapest, most popular and tastiest fish available in South India.

Health Benefits

Sardines are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, which is essential for lowering your LDL cholesterol to avoid heart disease and is also good for your skin and hair. Sardine small bones are a strong source of calcium.

Preparation of Sardine Curry

• Soak the gamboo in half a cup of water for 20 minutes. Cut each fish into 2-3 parts and clean thoroughly and fry well with salt/rock salt to avoid the smell.

• Heat the coconut oil in the manchatti/clay pot and add the mustard seeds.

• Attach the sliced shallots when you hear the crackling sound of the mustard seeds and blend until the color changes.

• Add the chopped ginger, garlic cloves, sliced green chillies and sauté until the garlic cloves turn yellow.

• Attach the sliced tomatoes and sauté until you get a good fragrance.

• In a bath, warm coriander powder, chilled powder, turmeric powder and fenugreek powder.

• Make #6 a paste in a blender with a little water and apply it to the pot.

• Rinse the blender jar and return the rinsed water to the pot.

• Add the sliced gambooge and the water used for soaking, the remaining curry leaves and salt.

• Add more water to the amount you like.

• Enable to boil and add the pieces of fish.

• Cook covered with medium flame until the fish turns soft and the oil separates.

• Now open the lid and cook until the sauce is reduced to half.

• Turn the flame off and cover the lid with the pan. Hold it idle for a while to mix the spices, the sour agent and the fish.

Tips of advice

• Almost every fish vendor sells sardines, but only a handful sell washed. It takes time to clean sardines. The powerful scent of sardine will smell your hand and even your clothing. Use apron when cleaning sardine and washing your hands several times with soap.

• If the curry tastes too bitter, take back some gamboos.

• Apply more tomatoes to the mixture if you want to make it tasty.

• Add some chilly powder to make it more spicy.

• Frying sardine will make veggies go crazy with you, because it has a really strong scent. Careful when you fried sardines, they have a poor reputation for their scent.