Kerala traditional Aiyla fish curry

In Kerala, Aiyla/ Indian Mackerel is one of the fish commonly cooked fish. In my home we used to pan fry it with spices powders or makes spicy curry in mankalam/ traditional clay pot.  Mackerel fish fry and curry is usually served with hot mashed tapioca/ Kappa puzhukku/Cheeni vevichathu or with hot rice.

There are different ways you can prepare curry with this fish, with and without coconut. Today, I am sharing with you a spicy Mackerel fish curry with coconut paste. I have used dry mango/ada manga instead of brindleberry/ kudam puli . Brindleberry/ kudam puli is used in traditional Kerala fish curries to get the sour taste.

Ingredients

1. Fresh Mackerel – 8
2. Grated coconut – 1 cup
3. Dry mango/ ada manga – a handful
4. Red chilli powder – 1 tablespoon
5. Coriander powder – 2 tablespoon
6. Turmeric – ½ tablespoon
7. Fenugreek powder – ¼ tablespoon
8. Water – 1 ½ cups
9. Salt to taste

Instructions

• Soak dry mango in a cup of water and keep it aside for ½ hour

• While dry mango gets tender, we will prepare the coconut grey for our curry. Add grated coconut and all spice powders into mixer jar and make a smooth paste. Keep it aside

• Clean the fish thoroughly. While cleaning, add a tablespoon of salt to it and rinse well for 1-2 minutes. Once cleaned, cut the fish into small pieces.

• Add salt, soaked dry mangoes into the cleaned fish

• Further add coconut paste. Add 1 cup of water to it and combine all together with a spoon

• Close the lid of the vessel and cook the fish on high flame. Stir the curry occasionally. Be careful while stirring, as once cooked fish become tender and get separated form its bones. You can just swril the vessel instead of stirring the curry. 

Note

Adjust the spice according to your taste. Instead of grinding the coconut, you can mix the spice powders and coconut with your hands.