Kerala Style Fish Fry by The Novice Housewife Kerala Style Fish Fry by The Novice Housewife

For today’s GMT I am sharing a fairly easy, next to zero pre prep recipe- Kerala style fish fry. A perfect side dish to lentils and rice or a great gluten free starter for a Kerala style meal. Not only does this Kerala style fish fry not require much preparation, it also comes together in a jiffy. And the next to zero effort is so much worth it. Because that means you can make this and sit back and enjoy it with a big, huge glass of chilled wine (yes, wine connoisseurs I like my wine chilled and I like it white!)

Of course I did neither of that. No sitting back and relaxing or drinking wine. Although I have half the mind to pour me a glass of wine and drink it while I write this post. It had been a busy day of cooking, cleaning, quickly photographing for the blog, cooking, cleaning, deep freezing stuff for V and then some baking and cleaning.

Kerala Style Fish Fry by The Novice Housewife Kerala Style Fish Fry by The Novice HousewifeIf someone asks me what’s my favorite ingredient, it has to be curry leaves. Then cumin. Aah cumin flavored potatoes! Yum. And lemon. Lemon also features in that list. I should stop listing else I’ll list every ingredient as my favorite.

So as I was saying curry leaves top my list of favorite ingredients. Please don’t confuse curry leaves with curry powder. They have nothing to do with any powder of any sorts. Well, there are dried curry leaf powders available now, so that statement isn’t entirely correct but just remember you can not use curry powder instead of curry leaf.

Curry powder, which is not a common pantry ingredient in indian kitchens, is actually a British invention and is a mix of spices such as cumin, cinnamon, turmeric and coriander and has NO CURRY LEAVES in it.

Curry leaves or we in India call them, Kadi pata, is this unique flavored (lemony would be the closest word to describe it) leaf. And I kid you not once you start cooking with curry leaves, you will fall in love with these dark green aromatic leaves. And imagine tempering these beauties in some coconut oil, intoxicated is how you will feel next.

Not many north Indian dishes use curry leaves (though there are instances of Gujarati cuisine using them and even Rajasthani dishes like my friend’s mom’s kadi recipe), but you will definitely find them as a constant feature in south indian cuisine. You will see them being used in rice dishes, vegetable sides, lentil broths, drinks and curries. (No wonder I like south Indian cuisine so much)

Curry leaves can be found in the fresh produce section of Indian or Asian markets. You also find dried leaves in some Indian grocery stores. You can find plants online as well. In case you are thinking of buying a plant- search for Curry leaves. You will find it available on amazon as well.

Fresh curry leaves can last up to two weeks in the fridge. To make them last longer, air-dry them in any cool part of your house where there is no direct sunlight, and once dry (takes about 3-5 days) store in an airtight container or ziploc bag. I generally stock up on curry leaves whenever I see them available in the asian grocery store in Phoenix and freeze them and use as required without thawing. Make sure you vacuum-pack them to prevent oxidation.

Kerala Style Fish Fry by The Novice Housewife Kerala Style Fish Fry by The Novice HousewifeComing to this Kerala style fish fry, as you might have guessed, has curry leaves in it.

I saw this recipe on one of the Indian cooking channels. I hardly ever watch TV these days, so its surprising that I had it on and tuned into this particular indian channel. It was like this dish and I were meant to be.

The recipe is adapted from Joey Mathews’ recipe for Kerala Fried Prawns. Prawns are larger shrimps. In the United Kingdom, the word “prawn” is used more commonly on menus than “shrimp”; while it’s the opposite in North America. And since India follows the British system thats what we eat in India. Since V is not a fan of any kind of sea food, I generally do not buy it, but I love Tilapia and some times buy it for myself and so used it here instead of the prawns in this dish. When I was in Kerala visiting my parents, I freaked out on the tiger prawn kerala dishes, so I am sure this would be a great prawn/shrimp dish as well.

If you use fish remember that the fish when cooked will tend to break up into pieces if there is any heavy stirring or mixing. So be gentle with it. And also the first time you put the fish in the pan, is when you cook it. The second time you are just putting it to get the flavors in and crisping the exterior.

Make sure that you do not overcook the fish. When you stick a fork in it and it flakes, it is done. If you stick the fork in the middle of the fish and it is squishy or hard to get the fork through the the top layer, it is not done yet. Depending on the thickness and how much fish you use cooking time will vary. Since I used two fillets, chopped into smaller pieces, my fish was cooked in 2-3 minutes. Your cooking time may vary and be careful of that. You do not want sea food that is rubbery.

And do make that onion garnish. All the leftover flavors in the pan after you remove the fish get absorbed by the onions, thus leaving none of the lovely spices go to waste.

Kerala Style Fish Fry by The Novice Housewife Kerala Style Fish Fry by The Novice Housewife

4.0 from 2 reviews
GMT: Kerala Style Fish Fry
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: starter, appetizer, gluten free, dairy free
Cuisine: Indian, Kerala
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
For the fish:
  • 2 Tilapia fillets, cut into smaller pieces (you could use shrimp/prawns if you like)
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • salt, to taste
  • 1-2 tsp lemon juice
For the tempering masala:
  • 2-4 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 8-10 curry leaves
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
For final garnish:
  • 1 tsp chopped red chillies
  • 1 small onion, chopped into rings
  • 1 lemon
  • A small bunch of coriander/cilantro, finely choppes
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, mix the turmeric, salt, pepper with a lemon juice to make a paste. Add fish (or prawns) and coat well. I did not let it sit, but you could let it sit in the marinade for 30 minutes.
  2. In a saucepan, take the coated fish (or prawns) and cook for 2-3 minutes till the fish starts to flake. Be very gentle as fish has a tendency to break. Keep aside.
  3. In a pan, take coconut oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, salt, pepper and red chilli powder. Fry the masala.
  4. To the masala, add fish (or prawns) and let them fry till golden brown. Keep it aside.
  5. For the garnish, in the same pan (do not change pans- you want the onions to absorb the flavors from the leftover tempered spices) take some oil,if necessary, and add onion rings and some chopped red chillies. Cook till all the oil is absorbed by the onion rings.
  6. To Serve: Garnish the fish (or prawns) with onion and chilli mix, squeeze some lemon juice and top with coriander.

 

Kerala Style Fish Fry by The Novice Housewife

15 Thoughts on “GMT: Kerala Style Fish Fry

  1. I have yet to cook with fresh curry leaves. thanks for sharing the detail info.
    dixya| food, pleasure, and health recently posted..Double Chocolate Cherry Muffins | Its’ Eggless too.My Profile

  2. nandeeta on 26 June, 2013 at 5:57 pm said:

    yum!
    do you just take fresh curry leaves & freeze them? never tried that – should do it!
    thanks!

  3. Yummy!! I usually make fish fry with the same ingredients, except with dried whole red chilies. Love the color!
    Kiran @ KiranTarun.com recently posted..Grilled Avocado & Cucumber Cold SoupMy Profile

  4. Fried fish is my absolute favorite fish dish. Lov the pics.
    indugetscooking recently posted..Stir Fried Brown RiceMy Profile

  5. jhanvi on 27 June, 2013 at 4:03 am said:

    this dish is not vegan i think. because vegans are dairy free vegetarians as far as i know. vegan is veg +an from veg+itari+an. fish is not vegetarian.

    • Oopsie! I am sorry, you are absolutely right! I do not know where my brain was when I wrote that! Correcting it now! Thanks for pointing it out 🙂

      • jhanvi on 28 June, 2013 at 12:50 am said:

        u are most welcome. I love ur recipes and i read them very carefully. I gave up on fish an year back. it always turns out very fragile and i have no idea how to buy it . i am novice too. 5 months married. please give some tips in your next post if possible

  6. You know what, the smell of fresh curry leaves makes me hungry! Shumaila, I loved your GMT concept…and this fish curry picture is speaking about how delicious it might have tasted. Only if I could join you! Shumaila, this recipe is a keeper. Thanks for this!!
    Purabi Naha | Cosmopolitan Currymania recently posted..Diabetes-Friendly, Blueberry-Lemon Frozen Yogurt Kulfi with NuSteviaMy Profile

  7. This looks like a great fish recipe!
    Nik@ABrownTable recently posted..grilled shrimp with cilantro mint chutneyMy Profile

  8. I am a big lover of cumin and lemon too, but have not had as much experience with curry leaves. This dish looks so gorgeous – great colour and great flavours – this will have to go on the list of fabulous food blog recipes I need to try!
    Jas@AbsolutelyJas recently posted..The Somewhat Misguided Daring BakerMy Profile

  9. Looks absolutely divine. Am hungry now. 😀
    We were vegetarians, but recently started eating fish, so this is like a cracker of a dish for us.
    Girish recently posted..Bhurji or Spicy Scrambled EggsMy Profile

  10. your pictures are so perfect.. I love south Indian food, just so much flavor. Love this and how you used tilapia.
    Honey What’s Cooking recently posted..Friday’s Favorite Things – 6.28.13My Profile

  11. Like the way you throw in the recipe with all the build up..very involved! Keep it coming..will soon be trying this out!

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