Recipe for Anupama Conso’s Meen Thilapichathu

Ingredients

500g  fish (mahseer)
2 medium-sized onions
½ inch piece ginger
4-5 cloves garlic
3 green chilies
2 medium-sized tomatoes (optional)
2 tbsp tamarind or vinegar
Salt, to taste
2–3 tbsp mustard oil or coconut oil
1 tbsp·chilli powder (adjust to spice preference)
1 sprig curry leaves

Method

Heat mustard oil in a curry pot or earthen chatty. Add sliced onions and sauté until they soften.
Stir in the ginger, garlic, and curry leaves. Let their aromas bloom as you sauté for a minute.
Toss in the tomatoes, if using, and cover the pot. Allow them to soften and release their juices, transforming the base into a vibrant red mixture.
Add chili powder, roasting it gently to release its flavour. Slowly pour in half a cup of water, stirring to create a flavorful curry base.
Place the cleaned fish into the pot, ensuring it is evenly coated in the simmering curry.
Add tamarind or vinegar, letting the tanginess seep into the fish. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes until the curry thickens and the oil begins to rise to the surface.
Serve this soulful curry piping hot with steamed rice, and you’ll find yourself transported to a coastal kitchen or a riverside village.

Ashish Verma is a host, a mountaineer and owner of The Nandastone homestay, who loves to walk the mountains talk, document and revive cultures of the Himalayas through foods. 

Photos credit: Mayank Kumawat

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