Madras Fish Curry In Chennai, India
The city of Madras was founded by the English East India Company in 1640 when Francis Day, one of their officials, selected it as the site of their new trading post, explaining that the cotton fabrics sold there were the cheapest along the south Indian coast. Later residents of Madras complained bitterly that it had no good port, forcing travellers to transfer from ships to small boats far from shore and getting soaked in the process. It was rumoured that the real reason Mr. Day had selected the site was that he had a mistress in the nearby Portuguese settlement of São Tomé. In spite of this rocky start, Chennai, as Madras was renamed, flourished and grew into today’s vibrant metropolis.
We recently got a chance to spend two months in Chennai during a sabbatical stay at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M). The IIT campus is an oasis of green amidst the urban sprawl of Chennai, giving a glimpse of what the tropical landscape looked like before the sprawling growth of the city. Giant banyan trees arc across the roads forming a verdant tunnel, and the Elephant Circle with its fountains and colourful lights is the heart of the campus where all roads meet.
Deer roam everywhere, so used to human beings that they are practically tame. Monkeys lurk in the trees, lying in wait for an unwary person carrying anything that looks edible so that they can swoop down and grab it. People on campus are fiercely protective of the animals: traffic crawls along the roads to give them right-of-way and losing a snack to a monkey is considered the cost of living there! After a few days we quickly adapted to the local rules and grew to appreciate the wonderful wildlife around the campus.
Old British buildings still form the heart of Chennai. The red brick building of the Government Museum displays magnificent 11th century bronze statues, reminding us that the history of this region long predates the city. Old temples, their gateways adorned with colourful carvings of Hindu deities, are thronged with devotees. Majestic old Portuguese churches still stand, including one that is reputed to be the burial site of the apostle Saint Thomas who brought Christianity to India. The sandy beaches, several miles long, are a gathering place for people to sit, meet, and while away the evenings.
When it came to food, we were spoiled for choices! With so much variety to choose from at our guesthouse, and great restaurants to try out in the city, we never ran out of options. The first photo up top is the kind of meal we were served every day at the IIT Madras Bose Einstein guesthouse where we were staying. The variety of dishes served there every day is mind boggling! For authentic South Indian food, we usually headed to our favourite restaurant Savya Rasa, where we indulged in crisp appams, rich mutton curries and fiery fish curries. If you’ve never tried South Indian food before, you are in for a treat. Creamy coconut milk, an array of spices, red hot chilies and the sour tang of tamarind give every bite an explosion of flavour!
The head chef of our guesthouse, Mr. Lakshmanan, is known for his excellent cooking. Each day, three times a day, he and his staff prepare a feast that could rival any five star hotel. He made a fantastic fish curry for us a couple times and I got him to give me a cooking lesson while he was at it. This authentic recipe below is from him and every time I make it, I’m transported back to the guesthouse with its wonderful hospitality and delicious food!
Mild Kashmiri chilies give this curry its signature orange colour, while tamarind adds it’s distinctive sour notes, without which this curry wouldn’t be complete. You can substitute paprika for the chilies if you want, and lemon juice instead of the tamarind for a slightly different flavour. Serve it with Coconut Rice for a lovely meal.
Madras Fish Curry
A small piece of tamarind, about the size of a large marble
1/2 cup hot water
2 tbsp oil
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 inch piece ginger, grated or minced
20 fresh curry leaves
1/4 tsp each: black mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds
2 dried Kashmiri or any other chilies
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots or red onion
1/2 cup (about 4-5) canned whole plum tomatoes, pureed
1/2 tsp each: Kashmiri chili powder (or cayenne pepper), turmeric, dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), ground black pepper, ground coriander, ground fennel seeds (optional)
Salt to taste
2 large ( about 1 1/2 lb) skinless fillet of any white fleshed fish such as tilapia, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 tsp sugar or a very small piece of jaggery
1 tbsp each: chopped fresh coriander, chopped fresh curry leaves
Soak tamarind in hot water for 15 min. Mash it occasionally to soften. Strain tamarind through a fine sieve and reserve extract, discarding the fibrous residue left in the sieve. You should have about 1/4 cup of thick tamarind extract. Set extract aside for later use in the recipe.
Warm oil in deep skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, curry leaves, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and dried chilies. Saute for about 1 min until seeds begin to pop and garlic turns lightly golden.
Add chopped onion, saute, stirring occasionally for about 5-7 min.
Add the tomatoes, reserved tamarind extract, salt and spices. Stir to mix, cover skillet and cook on low heat for 10 min until sauce is smooth and thickened, stirring occasionally.
Add fish pieces to skillet, coating gently with the sauce. Cover skillet again and cook for about 5 min on low heat until fish is almost cooked through, shaking skillet occasionally for even cooking. Fold in coconut milk and sugar or jaggery, cook uncovered for another 4-5 min until mixture starts bubbling, shaking skillet occasionally. Fold in chopped fresh coriander and curry leaves.
Serves four
