Tuna in coconut gravy

My home town is known as the Queen of Arabian Sea. More about my place here That would probably give you an idea on the importance fish plays in our diet. Not just my town, the entire state is blessed with a wide variety of fish and we have umpteen ways of cooking it. In fact every home has a different way of making 'fish curry' which is an unavoidable part of lunch/dinner. In my home, this rule is broken only when we observe vegetarianism for some religious reasons :)



Heres one of the ways my mom used to make fish curry.

Ingredients:

Fish - one pound (I used tuna)
Red chilly powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - quarter tsp
Ginger - minced ; 1 tsp
Green chilly - 1-2 ( optional)
Curry leaves - 2-4
Coconut - grated ; half cup
Kudampuli - 3 petals
Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

Warm a pan and add chilli and turmeric powder. Stir well to warm the powders up.This should not take more than a minute. Take care  not blacken. Now grind the powders, ginger, coconut, green chillies and curry leaves to form a smooth paste. Use very minimal amount of water for grinding.
Heat oil in a pan and add the spice paste. Keep stirring until oil starts oozing out. Add about one and a half cup of water to this. Add salt and kudampuli. Once the mix begins to boil add the fish pieces. Stir occasionally, but not using spoon. Technique is to draw imaginary horizontal circles with the pan :) This ensures that the fish does not get mashed. Cook for 30- 40 mins. This tastes best the day after cooking.

Notes:

Adjust the oil based on the coconut used. Some coconuts are so rich in oil. If your spice paste is oily, reduce the oil. You can always add more if it feels less.