Tasty Mangalorean Fish Curry Recipe with Coconut Milk

Roce Galn Maslechi Kadi or fish cooked in coconut milk is the most admired Mangalorean fish curry recipe. Here the “Mangalore recipe” refers to the recipes of the region of the coastal belt, spread from Kundapur to Mangalore (Udupi city comes in between). Mangalore is known for its beautiful beaches, rivers, temples, world-famous educational institutes, various cultures and… delicious food… amazing seafood.

I have travelled to many places and where ever I stayed I came across fish lovers, they asked me for Mangalorean fish curry recipes. Being a fish lover, as they say in Tulu, “meen da pucche”, (a cat that loves the fish) makes me try to learn varieties of fish dishes where I stayed. These fish curries are yummy too. But the Mangalore root makes me crave for Mangalorean fish curries. It has a unique taste in the curies. Yes! undoubtedly, the amount of coconut we use is one reason for this unique taste. Preparing fish curry for a family of 4 to 5 members requires a minimum of one coconut for the dish.

Mangalore is also a known fishing hub. Here fishing is classified majorly into sea fishing and river fishing. The local fishing folks mostly got the river fish, which is fresh and tasty. For sea fish, there are many big and small ports across the coast. Because of heavy rains, and also a fish breeding season, deep-sea fishing is closed from June to August. And during this time, a variety of river fish is available.

Fish is one of the healthiest food on the planet. Read about the benefits of eating fish. Most of the Mangalorean fish curry recipes are simple and easy to make.

My grandma was a wonderful cook. She is basically from Kundapur and Kundapur is known for superb cooks; I mean the traditional ones. I am a foodie and have been to different restaurants for fish meals. The restaurants in Kundapur have the best fish curries.

These days, we want to make things simple and easy. The way of living has changed compared to our childhood days. We store a common masala for fish, grind it in bulk or get it from supermarkets, use curry powders, etc. But a few decades ago, it was like we decided on the masalas based on the fish. For some fish, we use more coconut and for some less coconut. Again, also the difference in the ingredients added to it. I remember some names like Fish Puli-Munchi fish in tangy spicy masala, Losun Miri Fish Garlic pepper curry, Conpir Miri Fish in coriander & pepper curry, Jeeren Miri fish in cumin seed and pepper curry, Murmuraavn Kelli Kadi Fish in roasted onion curry, Maslecho Shirko-Shindhap, ambade-bimblan galn kelli kadi fish in Hog plums and bimbli curry, Ambot tik kadi, dhadaavn galn kelli kadi, bafath kadi, molee kadi, Kundapur fish curry these are some of the catholic preparations.

The tempering also differs for different fish. Mom always says in Konkani “nainchya maslek shindaap ani doryache maslek ponn” shindaap in Konkani refers to ginger, garlic and green chilli chopped and added to most of the Mangalorean dishes. Ponn refers to frying the onions brown and then adding it to the curry.

Coming to this Mangalorean fish curry recipe, “Mangalorean roce galn Kelli maslechi kadi” which means fish curry prepared with coconut milk. This is a delicious Mangalore fish curry with a lot of coconut milk. As I said earlier, in the rainy season, deep-sea fishing is not done. The local fisher folks get river fish. River fish is the best option to make this type of fish curry. We prepare this Mangalorean fish curry with coconut milk. There are a few varieties of fish that are good to be used in this type of curry. The most suited types of fish are Mullet (shevto), ladyfish (Kane), silver biddy (shetka), kingfish (surmai /sheer/isovn), Big sea perch (Gur/chonak/kuleji), sea bass (betki), black pomfret (surngul), salmon (raounse). I have used shetka or silver biddy.

Tips to cook Fish Curry in Coconut milk

In this Mangalorean fish curry with coconut milk, we use coconut while grinding and also add coconut milk. Many times we face problems while adding coconut milk, it gets curdled. Follow few tips to take care while adding coconut milk to avoid coconut milk getting curdled.
The coconut is ground to paste and extract thick and thin coconut milk. For better results, use warm water while grinding. Add the second and the third extract while cooking and add the first extract at the end. While adding the first extract, see that the flame is low. Secondly, keep on stirring once it is added till the curry starts to boil. This is the rule to follow in all kinds of curries with coconut milk. When it comes to fish curry, there are certain things to take care of. Once the fish is added, we cannot use a ladle to stir it after adding milk as the fish cooks fast and breaks while mixing it. Hold a thick kitchen towel on both sides of the vessel, lift and rotate in a circular motion. Another way to do it is to mix the coconut milk before adding fish, stir it with the spoon and when the curry boils add fish, I find this easy and hassle-free.

Don’t wait, just get some fresh fish and try this Mangalorean Fish Curry recipe. Enjoy this with steaming boiled rice and the leftover curry with neer dosa for next day breakfast.

Mangalorean Fish Curry Recipe – Ingredients

Mangalorean Fish Curry Recipe – Preparing Method

1. Grind the ingredients mentioned for the masala to a fine paste

2. Heat oil or ghee in a cooking vessel, fry 1 sliced onion till it slightly turns brown.

3. Add 4 slit green chilli, 1½ inch minced ginger and 4 cloves garlic and fry for some time.

4. Add the ground masala and fry in it.

5. Add the masala water, thin coconut milk and wait till the curry boils.

6. Simmer the gas flame and add the thick coconut milk and stir it till the curry boils. (keep stirring till the curry boils)

7. Add the fish, cook for two mins and close the lid. Do not stir using the ladle, it may break the fish. Lift the vessel and rotate in the circular motion.

8. Best to serve it after 30 minutes.

Mangalorean Fish Curry Recipe Card

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