AI-generated image
Batticaloa fish curry
மட்டக்களப்பு மீன் கறி (mattakkalappu meen kari): seer fish in a tangy tamarind and coconut-milk curry from the east coast
Batticaloa sits between a long lagoon and the sea, and its Tamil and Muslim cooks make a fish curry that tastes of both: sour with tamarind, round and mellow with coconut milk, and fragrant with fennel, fenugreek and curry leaves. Seer fish, called thora or vanjiram, is the favourite because its firm steaks hold together in the gravy, though any meaty sea fish works. The curry is a weekday staple, cooked in the morning and eaten at lunch with rice, a lentil dhal and a fried vegetable, and it is even better a few hours later once the fish has absorbed the sauce. Most disappointing versions come from stirring the pot after the fish goes in, which breaks the steaks into flakes. Chef's tip: swirl the pan instead of stirring, and spoon the sauce over the fish so it cooks evenly without being moved.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- ⅞ oz tamarind pulpsoaked in 150 ml hot water, strained
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 /2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 /2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 1 red onionsliced
- 5 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 cm piece fresh gingergrated
- 2 green chilliesslit
- 1 tomatochopped
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 ¼ cups coconut milk
- 1 drumstick (moringa pod) (optional)cut into 6 cm lengths
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (8)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rub the 1 ⅓ lb seer fish (or kingfish) steaks, 2 cm thick with 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric and half of the ⅝ tsp salt, cover and leave in the fridge for 10 minutes.
2 minStep 2: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide, shallow pan over a medium heat and add 1 /2 tsp fenugreek seeds, 1 /2 tsp fennel seeds and 2 sprigs curry leaves; let them crackle for 20 seconds.
1 minStep 3: Add 1 red onion, 5 cloves garlic, 2 cm piece fresh ginger and 2 green chillies and cook for 5–6 minutes until soft and lightly golden.
6 minStep 4: Add 1 tomato, 2 tsp chilli powder, 2 tsp ground coriander and 1 tsp ground cumin and cook for 3 minutes until the tomato collapses and the oil separates.
3 minStep 5: Pour in ⅞ oz tamarind pulp, two-thirds of ¾ cup coconut milk and the remaining ⅝ tsp salt, add 1 drumstick (moringa pod) and simmer for 6 minutes.
6 minStep 6: Lay the fish in the sauce in one layer, spoon the gravy over and simmer gently for 7–8 minutes, swirling the pan, until the fish is opaque and flakes at the centre.
8 minStep 7: Add the rest of ½ cup coconut milk, heat for 1–2 minutes without boiling and taste for salt and sourness. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does batticaloa fish curry take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of fenugreek seeds?
- Leave them out, or add a little extra mustard seed (you lose the slightly bitter, maple-like note).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Polos curry
Polos is the tiny unripe jackfruit picked in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces long before it sweetens, and cooked low and slow it becomes one of the island's most loved festival curries, especially at Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April and at wedding lunches. The firm, pale flesh soaks up a very dark roasted curry powder, garlic, ginger, goraka (a smoky souring fruit) and coconut milk until it turns almost black-brown and tastes rich, sour and meaty. Fresh polos is hard to find abroad; tinned young green jackfruit in brine works well. A frequent mistake is not cooking it long enough, which leaves it squeaky; the pieces must be soft enough to break with a spoon. Chef's tip: oil your hands and knife before cutting fresh jackfruit; the sticky white sap washes off oiled skin but not dry skin.
Singapore chilli crab
Chilli crab was first sold from a pushcart on the Kallang river in the 1950s and is now the dish visitors queue for along Singapore's East Coast seafood strip. Big mud crabs are cut up, wok-fried and simmered in a thick, sweet, tangy and gently hot sauce of chilli, tomato and garlic, which is then silked with beaten egg. Everyone eats with their hands and mops up the sauce with fried or steamed mantou buns. It is a weekend or celebration meal, messy and loud. Buy crabs live or freshly cooked the same day from a fishmonger you trust. Discard any live crab that doesn't move, smells of ammonia or has a cracked, leaking shell. The common mistake is boiling the sauce after adding the egg, which scrambles it into lumps; pour it in a thin stream over a low heat. Chef's tip: ask the fishmonger to clean and quarter the crab for you, and crack each claw lightly with the back of a cleaver so the sauce soaks in.
Singaporean
Undu walalu
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.