Andhra Chepala Pulusu (Fish in Tamarind Sauce)

Ingredients:

10-15 fish fillets
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander pwd
1 tbsp cumin pwd
Tamarind (small lemon sized)
1/2 tbsp red chilli pwd (adjust)
10 Curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric
Salt adjust to taste
2-3 tbsps oil
Coriander leaves

To Grind into a coarse paste:
1 large onion
1 medium tomato
3-4 green chillies slit (adjust)
1" piece ginger
4 medium sized garlic cloves (peeled)

Process:

• Clean the fish, cut it into pieces and keep it aside.
• First grind ginger, garlic, green chillies finely and then add the onion and tomato pieces and pulse it (make sure you don't make a fine paste of onion and tomato).
• Soak the tamarind in hot water for 10 mins, squeeze the juice and keep it aside (you can also microwave the tamarind with water for 1 min and then squeeze the juice)
• Add oil to a deep bottomed pan. Once it is hot add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and the ground paste along with green chillies, coriander pwd, cumin pwd, turmeric and little salt, cover and cook it on medium flame stirring once in a while till the paste is well cooked and the oil starts to ooze out from the mixture.
• Then add the red chilli pwd and the fish pieces. Cook it for 5 mins without covering so that the water from the fish comes out and evaporates (this step is important to reduce the smell of the fish)
• Add the tamarind juice along with a cup of water, cover and cook on medium for 10 mins (usually it doesn't take more than 10 mins to cook fish)
• Finally adjust salt and add some coriander leaves and switch off the flame.
• Serve hot with rice.

Happy Tummy :-)