Red hot and sour mathi-manga curry (Spicy sardine-mango curry)

"Question: What is the staple food of the people of Kerala?
Answer: Rice and fish!"

A long coastline, in addition to the plethora of abundants that are a boon, etches the staple diet of fish in a region

When I think of sardines (mathi as it is fondly known by in Kerala), what or rather who  pops up into my mind is my niece. Right from the onset of her travesty with solid food, her favorite was rice and mathi, be it the spicy curry version or the crispy fried form. Anytime, anywhere, any amount, she could go on and on with it, until her mom sternly intervened :D :D

Though personally mathi is not my first choice even though it is loaded with essential oils and is a very healthy and recommended staple, there are days when even the less favorite is THE favorite :D

This was one of those days when fish, smothered with the mix of spices and the sourness of Kerala mangoes orchestrated a symphony of flavors... MY flavors :D :D



What I used

1. Cleaned sardines (mathi): 1/2 kg
2. Oil: 1/2 cup
3. Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
4. Finely diced medium-sized onion: 1
5. Salt: to taste
6. Ginger-garlic finely chopped or ground to paste: 2 teaspoons
7. Chopped tomatoes: 2
8. Fish masala (store-bought): 3 tablespoons
9. Green chillies: 2
10. Water: as required
11. Cut pieces of 1 mango
12. Juice of a small ball of tamarind
13. Kudampuli (gambooge/fish tamarind): 4
14. Curry leaves: 1 sprig

How I made it

1. Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds
2. Add the ginger-garlic chops/paste and within a minute, right after the aroma hits you, add the diced onions, few curry leaves, and saute well adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt
3. Once the onions have turned translucent, add the tomatoes and continue sauting on medium flame till the tomatoes become soft
4. Add the fish masala and mix well till the raw smell is lost
5. Dilute the masala mix with water, about 2-3 cups
   PS: Ensure you do not add too much water lest the curry gets too thin and tastes watery. You would not want that
6. Adjust the salt as needed and add the juice of the tamarind. Mix well and add the cut mango pieces
7. Once the mango pieces have started softening, add the fish, kudampuli, remaining curry leaves, enough water to just cover the fish, and cook on medium flame till the contents boil
8. Once the contents have boiled for about 15 minutes, turn off the stove as fish takes very less time to cook. Mix the contents by swirling the pan and keep covered for a while before serving
   PS: Fish curry with kudampuli tastes good after being kept for a while rather than immediate servingIt is said fish curry tastes good as it ages, like for about a day :D :D If you have patience, have it after a day, else a span of few hours should be good enough

This curry goes with just about anything - rice, chappathi, bread, puttu, upma, ANYTHING!!!!



RELISH is an understatement for some dishes which are an experience!... like this one ;-)