Kerala Fish Curry is a fiery fish curry from India’s southwestern coast, where it’s also called meen curry. The fish braises in a sauce of onion, ginger, garlic, green chiles, tomato, curry leaves, and toasted spices, and then coconut milk goes in to soften the chile heat. Kudampuli, a smoked, dried fruit, gives the sauce its sour backbone. You can adjust the heat with more or less chile powder or fresh chiles.
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An earlier version of this recipe called for kokum, a close cousin of kudampuli that’s more common farther north along India’s west coast. I switched to kudampuli because it’s the souring agent Kerala cooks rely on, and it adds a smoky note kokum doesn’t have. If you can’t find it, kokum still works, and I’ve covered the other substitutes below.
Ingredient Notes
Cooks in Kerala often make this curry with small fish like sardines or anchovies, but I use larger, meatier fish: mackerel, halibut, cod, or salmon. A firm fish holds together through the covered simmer. Delicate fillets like sole or flounder tend to fall apart in the sauce.
Kudampuli is the souring agent here, and it’s what separates this from a generic coconut curry. You’ll find it at Indian markets and online, usually labeled Malabar tamarind, cambodge, or kudampuli. If you can’t get it, dried black kokum is the closest substitute, and the other options are in the section below.
Fresh curry leaves are sold at Indian markets, and I sometimes find them frozen at 99 Ranch. They have nothing to do with curry powder, which is a spice blend. If you can’t find them, makrut lime leaves or fresh basil will give the oil an herbal aroma. The curry will still be missing the distinctive fragrance curry leaves give it.
Buy black mustard seeds, sometimes labeled brown, at an Indian market or online. The yellow seeds in most supermarket spice aisles are milder and won’t taste the same. Fenugreek seeds are small, hard, and amber-colored, and a quarter teaspoon is plenty. They turn bitter if they scorch, which is why the onions go in as soon as the curry leaves start to splutter.
For the ground chile, reach for Kashmiri chile powder, which gives the sauce its deep red color without overwhelming heat. Any ground red chile works, but don’t use American chili powder, which is a blend that usually includes cumin and oregano. The fresh green chiles add heat too, so you can turn either one up or down.
Indian markets sell jarred ginger-garlic paste, but it has the same problem as jarred minced garlic: it tastes flat next to fresh. Making your own takes a couple of minutes. Grate or blend equal parts fresh ginger and garlic.
Use full-fat coconut milk. It gives the sauce its creaminess and body, and it’s what tames the chile heat, while light coconut milk makes a thin, watery sauce. For the oil, I use avocado oil, but any neutral-flavored, high-smoke-point oil, such as vegetable, canola, or peanut oil, will do. Coconut oil works too.
What is Kudampuli?
Kudampuli, often called “Malabar tamarind” or “fish tamarind,” is the definitive souring agent of traditional Kerala fish curries. It is a small, pumpkin-shaped tropical fruit whose rind is sun-dried and smoked until it turns into wrinkled, leathery black shards. It infuses curries with an intense, fruity tartness balanced by a smoky undertone.
Sourcing and Substitutions
Kudampuli is easy to find online or in Indian or South Asian markets in the US. Look for packages labeled “Malabar tamarind,” “cambodge,” or “kudampuli.” It keeps in the pantry for years. If you can’t find it, your best substitutes are:
- Black kokum is its closest cousin. It offers a similar clean, fruity sourness but lacks the distinct smoky finish. Kokum is also available online or in Indian or South Asian markets in the US.
- Tamarind paste and tamarind pulp are both widely available in Asian and Latin American markets in the US. Their flavor mimics kudampuli’s deep, dark tang, but is slightly sweeter.
- Amchur powder, or dried mango powder, which is also widely available in Indian markets in the US or online, adds a similar tartness to the dish.
- Fresh lime juice provides the necessary acidic brightness.
How To Make Kerala Fish Curry
Start the kudampuli soaking before anything else, since it needs about 15 minutes in warm water to soften and release its sourness. That gives you time to slice the onion and chiles, chop the tomato, and get the fish ready. Once everything is prepped, the cooking moves quickly.
The curry starts with whole spices. Fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, and curry leaves go into hot oil, and the leaves splutter almost immediately, so stand back. The onions and green chiles follow and cook until soft. Then the ginger-garlic paste and tomato go in and break down into a thick base.
The ground spices go in next and need only a minute or two of stirring to lose their raw edge. Then the fish goes into that base with the kudampuli and its soaking liquid, and simmers gently, covered, over low heat. If you’re using a substitute instead of kudampuli, check the recipe notes, because most of them go in with the coconut milk or at the very end.
The coconut milk goes in last and simmers just long enough to turn the sauce creamy and balance out the heat of the chiles and ground chile. Pull out the kudampuli pieces before serving, since they’ve given up their flavor by then. Scatter the cilantro over the top.
What to Serve with Kerala Style Fish Curry
You want something to soak up the sauce, so I serve this with rice. Coconut Rice doubles down on the coconut, or keep it plain with basmati. Appam, dosa, roti, or Butter Garlic Naan work too if you’d rather mop it up with bread.
To start, set out Chicken Pakora, Paneer Pakora, or Samosas, or make Air Fryer Samosas instead. Serve them with Cucumber Raita, Cilantro Mint Chutney, or Tamarind Date Chutney for dipping. The raita also helps if the curry’s heat runs high.
Kerala Fish Curry
Robin Donovan
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 pieces kudampuli see note for sourcing and substitution information
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 5 or 6 curry leaves
- 2 to 3 green chiles such as serranos or jalapenos
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons red chile powder use more or less depending on your preference for spice
- 1 pound meaty fish halibut, cod, salmon, etc.
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Soak the kudampuli in ¼ cup of warm water for 15 minutes. Gently squeeze the pieces in the water to help release their juices.
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, and curry leaves.
- Once the leaves start to splutter, add the green chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Next, add the ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Now add the salt, turmeric, coriander, and chile powder and cook, stirring constantly, for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the fish along with the kudampuli and its soaking water. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
- Finally, add the coconut milk and let the curry simmer for a few more minutes.
- Just before serving, remove and discard the kudampuli pieces and garnish with the cilantro.
Notes
- Dried black kokum: 2 to 3 pieces (soak and add to the pot exactly like kudampuli).
- Tamarind paste: 1 teaspoon (dissolve in 1 tablespoon water and add with the coconut milk).
- Seedless tamarind pulp: 1 teaspoon (soak in 2 tablespoons of hot water, strain, and add the soaking liquid along with the coconut milk).
- Amchur powder: ½ teaspoon (stir in toward the end of simmering).
- Fresh lime juice: 1 tablespoon (stir in at the end of cooking, after turning off the heat).
I watched the fishermen in Kerela with their huge iconic nets catch fish, this dish has transported me back to Kerela – delicious!
Amazing. I’ve been making more fish dishes and I love this one, it is so tasty with so many unique flavors.
I put the onion, ginger and garlic into a blender to make a paste, otherwise followed the recipe (using lime juice substitute).
WOW! What an excellent recipe!
I’ve printed it off and given it a place in my ‘Coveted Recipes’ ring binder. That is high praise indeed!
Thanks for sharing, Tom! I’m so glad you loved it!
Awesome
Can this be done in a slow cooker?
I have never tried but I would be nervous about cooking fish in a slow cooker since it only takes a few minutes to cook on the stovetop or in the oven.
Best looking recipe I could find, it surpassed expectations, really good.