Andhra fish curry recipe, how to make Andhra fish curry

Spicy Andhra fish curry recipe with tamarind, a ground curry paste, and fish steaks. A lovely South Indian style fish curry that goes great with rice and any vegetable of your choice.

Every now and then, I crave a good fish curry. It’s just what I grew up on and often, I find myself wanting to go back to my childhood days and forget the “healthy” tag and just have a bowl of white rice with a good fish curry. While I usually default to this easy fish curry in coconut milk that I can spice up or down as desired, this Andhra fish curry recipe which I tried a few weekends ago took it up a notch for me.

The curry is thick and tangy due to the ground curry paste (which we make from scratch) and the tamarind in it. All things considered, it’s relatively easy to prepare too. Andhra fish curry would hint at a very spicy dish and this one doesn’t disappoint although I used Kashmiri chilli powder which gives a good colour without all the spice from regular chilli powder or paprika. The green chillies are optional but I do love the flavour and throw in a few as I make this.

If you want to try more fish recipes, here are my favourites:
Chettinad fish fry
Kerala fish fry
Meen peera
Kerala red fish curry
Fish molee
Baked salmon Indian-style

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Andhra Fish Curry Recipe

Prep 20 mins

Cook 20 mins

Total 40 mins

Yield 4 people

A delicious Andhra fish curry recipe that's tangy, spicy, and full of flavour. Step by step recipe to help even the beginner cooks.

Ingredients

For Curry Paste

• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp whole black pepper
• 1/4 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
• 3/4 cup peeled shallots (or pearl onions)
• 1/4 cup peeled and sliced garlic flakes
• 1/2 cup cubed tomato

For Curry

• 250 grams fish (I used King fish steaks)
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
• 2 green chillies
• 1/4 cup shallots, sliced
• 3-4 garlic flakes, sliced
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 small ball of tamarind (around 1 tbsp)
• A few curry leaves
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. First let's prepare the curry paste
2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds, fennel, pepper, and methi seeds
3. Roast until the cumin seeds turn a golden brown
4. Now add the shallots and garlic
5. Saute again for another 2-3 minutes or until the shallots turn pink and translucent
6. Then add the cubed tomatoes and saute until they turn soft and mushy
7. Remove from heat and set aside to cool
8. Cut and clean your fish pieces as needed. I used them as small steak pieces
9. Soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup warm water. Extract juice and discard the pulp and seeds
10. In the same pan used to roast the curry paste ingredients, heat 1/4 cup oil and add mustard seeds
11. When they start popping, add the shallots, garlic and green chillies
12. Fry for a minute
13. Then add chilli powder, coriander powder, and turmeric powders
14. Fry for 30 seconds and add the tamarind water
15. Top up with 2 more cups of water, salt, and curry leaves and bring to the boil
16. Meanwhile, grind the cooled ingredients for curry paste
17. Add to the above boiling pan and lower heat to a simmer
18. Add the fish pieces and cook covered for 10-15 minutes on low heat until the fish pieces are cooked
19. Serve hot with rice

Courses Lunch

Cuisine Andhra, Indian

Step by Step Andhra Fish Curry Recipe

First let’s prepare the curry paste. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds, fennel, pepper, and methi seedsRoast until the cumin seeds turn a golden brown, then add the shallots and garlicSaute again for another 2-3 minutes or until the shallots turn pink and translucentThen add the cubed tomatoes and saute until they turn soft and mushy. Remove from heat and set aside to coolCut and clean your fish pieces as needed. I used them as small steak pieces. Soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup warm water. Extract juice and discard the pulp and seeds.

In the same pan used to roast the curry paste ingredients, heat 1/4 cup oil and add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add the shallots, garlic and green chilliesFry for a minute. Then add chilli powder, coriander powder, and turmeric powderFry for 30 seconds and add the tamarind waterTop up with 2 more cups of water, salt, and curry leaves and bring to the boilMeanwhile, grind the roasted and cooled ingredients for curry paste Add to the above boiling pan and lower heat to a simmer Add the fish pieces and cook covered for 10-15 minutes on low heat or until the fish pieces are cooked Serve Andhra fish curry hot with rice

Recipe Notes:

• The green chillies are optional. If you want a less spicy fish curry, omit them.
• Use Kashmiri red chilli powder for optimal heat and colour to the dishes
• If you can’t find shallots where you live, replace with chopped onions
• Adjust quantity of tamarind to your taste. This fish curry is meant to be a bit on the tangy side
• You can use any type of fish, with our without bones. I use thin King fish steaks for most of my fish recipes since they are readily available here cleaned and sliced
• The thickness of the gravy is up to you so control the amount of water to get to the desired consistency

For Andhra fish curry recipe in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.