Varutharacha Vaala Meen Curry - Kerala Special Spicy Belt Fish Curry

Fish curries are very common recipe; however this is from my Amma’s cookbook. Vaala meen name it’s because that it looks like a “vaal” I,e sword. In English, it is belt fish’. The taste is absolutely awesome that anyone will love to have it. Belt fishes are not commonly available in markets in Kerala; it’s seasonable and available only in a specific time that too it’s costly when it’s sold. The taste of belt fish is very much unique and not like other fishes. It’s very spongy and melts in mouth. You can make it like the normal fish curry as well, but it doesn’t suits much to this fish.

When you make it like a varutharacha curry its perfect. Only certain fishes will be made like this roasted method as it doesn’t suits for all the fish varieties, The word “varutharachadu” is nothing but “roasted and grinded”, so the masalas are roasted and ground as a paste in this recipe and that’s how it took the name. There is not a huge difference in making this than the normal Kerala fish curry but there is a difference in taste. If you are a fish lover, I would suggest you to taste the belt fish curry at least ones and you will love the taste of it. Even if you make a fry out of it, it tastes great. So, here comes the authentic belt fish curry.

Ingredients:

To Roast (without oil):

• Chili Powder- 1 Tspn
• Coriander Powder- 1 Tspn
• Turmeric Powder- ¼ Tspn

To Grind:

• Coconut Shredded- half cup
• Small onions- 3 Nos
• Tamarind- half lemon size.
• Cumin Seeds- ¼ Tspn

For the Curry:

• Belt Fish- 1 Lb/ ½ Kg
• Tomato-Sliced as large pieces- 1
• Green Chilies- 3 Nos(Sliced lengthy)
• Uluva podi(fenugreek powder)- ¼ Tspn
• Drumstick(optional)- 1 sliced
• Salt- As needed

To Temper:

• Coconut Oil- 1 Tspn
• Mustard Seeds- 1 Tspn
• Curry Leaves- Few

Method:

• Roast all the ingredients in low flame in a pan, until the color of the masala powders turns thick and switch off the flame and let it cool.
• Grind all the ingredients under to ground along with the roasted powder adding little water and make a fine paste.
• In a pan without keeping it in the flame, add all the ingredients under for the curry (except fenugreek powder) and the grounded paste along with the required water you needed for the curry and mix well with hand.
• Keep this pan into the stove now and cook it covered for 5 minutes and then cook it uncovered, when it starts boiling add the fenugreek powder and stir well (do not over stir).
• In a separate small pan, add all the ingredients under to temper and when it’s done, add this to the boiling curry and switch off the flame.

 
Tips:

"Do not add more water as the curry will not taste good; add only required water say 1 cup, so that when its starts thickening, you may not lose the taste.

Adding kudampuli is a good choice for any Kerala fish curry, if you are adding kudampuli, do not add the tamarind while grinding, as you can add only the kudambuli directly to the curry when it’s boiling.

Roast the powders well until the color turns thick, only then the curry will turn good."