Andhra Chepala Pulusu/ Andhra Fish Curry

Andhra Chepala Pulusu

Marinating Fish:

Fish - 1 kg pieces (please read tips)
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chili powder - 3 tsp
Salt to taste

Mix these together and keep aside.

Ingredients:

Green chillies - 6 no. (slit lengthwise)
Curry leaves - 3 sprigs

Onion - 1 large (diced, fried in 2 tsp of oil and then pureed) or Shallots - handful (peel and sliced thinly)

Ginger and Garlic paste - 1/4 tsp each
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Masala powder - 3 tsp (please read tips)

Tamarind - Big lemon size (add water until the tamarind is immersed, microwave for 2 mins, and squeeze to make pulp)

Coriander leaves - handful (chopped finely)
Oil - 7 tbsp

Proceed:

1) Heat oil in a non-stick Kadhai, add green chillies and curry leaves and fry well, keep few for garnishing

2) To the above add onion paste or sliced shallots and fry for 5 mins. on medium heat.

3) Add gg paste, turmeric, red chilli powder and masala powder and fry for few mins. Mix well.

4) Layer the fish pieces on top, close the lid and cook for few mins, turn over carefully, rotate the dish and cook for few more mins. by closing lid.

5) Add water until fish pieces are immersed, keep the heat on high, when it is started boiling, simmer and cover for 10 mins.

6) Add tamarind pulp, close the lid and cook until oil floats on top and the raw smell of tamarind disappears, do not mix the curry with the spatula instead carefully hold both the handle of the dish and rotate.

7) Add coriander leaves and check for salt, cook it for 5 more mins and serve. While serving, garnish with curry leaves and green chillies which is been fried earlier.

Serve with Plain White Rice. 


Tips:

* For this dish use shallots, if you don't have then do as above. I would recommend to use shallots to get that authentic taste of Andhra Chepala Pulusu. For shallots no need to fry or grind as normal onion, you can slice them thinly and fry in oil directly, just follow point 2.

* When u have added fish pieces, do not mix with spatula, instead rotate the dish or otherwise fish becomes mushy.

* For Indian curry's do not use Salmon. Any other firm fish will do. For Indians use Bochu Cheppa, Sheelavathi, Pulsa variety.

* Only for River fishes (ex: Bochu cheppa, Pulsa, Rohu) we do pulusu style. For Sea fish ( ex: Tella Sanduva or Silver Pompfret, Vanjeeram) do iguru type, means with out adding any tamarind to it, but replacing with my chicken masala powder to the above method.

* Pulusu and Iguru type curries have their own masalas, so do not add cloves and say pulusu. In here we omit the cloves and cinnamon.

Masala Powder (no need to roast spices):

Coriander seeds - 3 tsp, Poppy seeds (white) - 1 tsp, Cardamom - 4 no. {Grind all these together in to fine powder}.

********For New Zealand Fish:

Blue Warehou and Mullet are good for Fish Curry or Pulusu. Trivally and Red Snapper is good for Fish Vepudu or Fry.

Meaning:

Mullet = Koyyingalu (we call these in telugu language, when they are small we call them katti chepalu, big we call them koyyingalu)

© 2007 by Rajani Rayudu