the Really easy Fish curry

Fish Curry ( Chepala Iguru )

This is the standard fish curry in Andhra, and perhaps the simplest.

Preparation to serve three (six pieces of fish)

STEP 1 : Preparing the fish

Onion, medium sized	1
Ginger	½ inch piece
Garlic	6-7 cloves
Mustard,	1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds	1/2 tsp
Turmeric	½ tsp
Chilli powder	1 tsp
Garam Masala	½ tsp
Salt	To taste

Make a coarse paste of all the ingredients and apply the paste liberally on to the cleaned and sliced fish

STEP 2 : The final preparation

Onions, medium sized, cut into thin slices	1/2
Green chilli	2
Curry leaves	6-8 leaves
Oil	2 tblsp
Coriander leaves	Fresh cut

Heat oil in a heavy pan. Add onions, curry leaves and red chilli. Wait for onion to turn a golden brown. Add the fish pieces and cook till the fish becomes light brown in color and takes away the raw smell. This is a delicate operation and the best way to achieve this without damaging the fish would be to gently swirl the vessel.

Add water and cook on a low flame till the gravy gets a thick sauce like consistency. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves

Serve hot with steamed rice.

the Really easy 'Fish in Mango sauce'; 'Besaru'

This recipe requires dried and salted mango kernels which are commonly available in Andhra. The tanginess combines beautifully with the pungent mustard to result in a strongly flavored fish curry.

While any fish can be experimented, varieties that do not break easily are preferred

Preperation to serve three ( six pieces of fish)

STEP 1 : Precooking the mango kernels.

Take about 2-4 mango kernels depending on the amount of tanginess required (tolerated) in a pot and boil it in water just enough to submerge it. Correctly boiled kernels become soft but do not separate from the seed. Separate the kernels and the water and set aside.

STEP 2 : Preparing the fish

Salt	As per taste
Chilli powder	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	1/2 tsp

Slice fish as per preference. Make a thin paste of chilli powder, turmeric and salt and rub it on to the fish and set aside

STEP 2 : Preparing the curry paste

Onion, medium sized	1
Garlic	5 cloves
Mustard,	1 tsp
Cumin seeds	1/2 tsp

Make a fine paste of all the above ingredients and set aside

STEP 3 : The preparation

Onions, medium sized, cut into thin slices	1/2
Mustard seeds	1 tsp
Dried red chilli	2
Curry leaves	6-8 leaves
Oil	2 tblsp

Heat oil in a heavy pan.

Pop mustard seeds taking care to avoid charring them.

Add onions, curry leaves and red chilli. Wait for onion to turn a golden brown.

Add the fish pieces and blend them in with the spices. This is a delicate operation and the best way to achieve this without damaging the fish would be to gently swirl the vessel.

As the color of the fish changes to a slight brown, add curry paste, cooked mango kernels. Blend in gently for 2 minutes and add water to submerge the fish. The water we initially set aside after boiling the kernels would be good here.

Cook on a low flame till the gravy gets a thick sauce like consistency.

Serve hot with steamed rice.