Varutharacha Meen Curry
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Varutharacha Meen Curry (Fish in Roasted Coconut Gravy)

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Here is the pic and the recipe...

Heat a pan and dry roast the ingredients listed under ‘to roast and grind'…

Pic 13
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Roast it till it turns golden brown…

Pic 23
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Let it cool completely. Add 2-3 tbsp of water to the roasted ingredients and grind it to a thick smooth paste…

Pic 52
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Meanwhile, heat oil in a manchatti (earthen pot) or a thick bottomed vessel. Add pearl onions, ginger, garlic and green chilli…

Pic 31
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After around 4-5 mins, add turmeric powder and cook for a min or two…

Pic 42
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Add ground paste, salt and water. Let it boil. Add cocoum pieces and cook for a few more mins…

Pic 71
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When the gravy boils, add fish pieces and swirl the pot, so that the fish pieces are coated with the gravy…

Pic 81
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Cover and cook. When the fish is half done, add tomato (refer notes) and continue cooking till the fish is done…

Pic 112
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Switch off the gas and add 1 tbsp of coconut oil and curry leaves. Let the curry rests for a while for the flavour to settle in…

Pic 122
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Varutharacha Meen Curry
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Varutharacha Meen Curry

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Servings: 4 -5
Author: Maria Jose

Ingredients

  • 500 gms Fish (refer notes)

To roast and grind

  • 1 cup Grated coconut
  • 2 Pearl onions / Small onion (sliced)
  • 1 tsp Garlic
  • 1 tbsp Chilli powder (refer notes)
  • 1 tbsp Coriander powder (refer notes)
  • 1 tsp Whole black pepper
  • 1/2 - 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
  • 4-5 Curry leaves

For gravy

  • 1 tsp Ginger (chopped)
  • 1/2 tbsp Garlic (chopped)
  • 1-2 Green chilli (slit lengthwise)
  • 5-6 Pearl onion (sliced)
  • 1 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 3 Cocum (kudam puli) ( if its dry, soak in hot water for 5-10 mins)
  • 1 Tomato (cut into 4 (optional))
  • Curry leaves
  • Coconut oil
  • Salt

Instructions

  • Heat a pan and dry roast the ingredients (except chilli and coriander powder and curry leaves) listed under 'to roast and grind'. When coconut becomes golden brown, add chilli and coriander powder and curry leaves. Fry it for 2 more mins. Let it cool. Add 2-3 tbsp, water and grind it to a smooth thick paste.
  • Heat oil in the same pan and add 1/2 tbsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp chopped ginger and 6 sliced pearl onions and 1-2 green chilli. After 4-5 mins, when the pearl onions and ginger and garlic start changing colour, add turmeric powder and cook for a min or so. Add ground coconut paste, salt and water (around 1.5 cups - 2 cups). Let it boil.
  • Add cocum and cook for 2 mins. Add fish pieces. Swirl the pan to make sure that the fish pieces are coated well with the masala. Cover and cook. When fish is half cooked, add tomato (refer notes) and continue cooking till the fish is cooked completely. Switch off the gas and add 1 tbsp coconut oil and curry leaves. Let it rest for a while for the flavour to settle in.
  • The colour of the curry deepens while it rests.

Notes

You can use Pomfret (avoli), fresh tuna (choora), Prawns, Mackerel (ayala) for this recipe.
You can use dry chilli and coriander seeds, instead of chilli powder and coriander powder, while roasting the coconut. If you are using it, use around 5-6 dry chilli and 3/4 tbsp of coriander seeds. In that case, add the dry chilli and coriander seeds along with the coconut.
Add tomato, only after checking the sourness of the gravy. If the curry already has required sourness/tangy taste from the cocum, do not add tomato.
If you dont have cocum, you can use tamarind pulp instead.
Tried this recipe? Let others know by...mentioning @mariasmenu or tagging #mariasmenu
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79 thoughts on “Varutharacha Meen Curry (Fish in Roasted Coconut Gravy)”

  1. Hi Maria, where are your notes (you keep saying Refer notes). Please help to understand your recepies. Possible add the link to directly take us to your note.

    Thank you for the lovely recepies.
    Best Regards
    Priya

    Reply

    • Hi Elsa,

      I havent made any curries with Hammour yet, I usually use it for grilling only. However, if you’ve tried Hammour for other curries successfully, then you can use it for this one as well.

      Cheers
      Maria

      Reply

  7. Hi Maria!
    I’m a big fan of your recipes! I wasn’t much into cooking before but going through your site, cooking seems very interesting.
    This dish seems mouth watering! I just have small doubt, Can we Neymeen for this? Will it be OK?
    Thanks! :)

    Reply

  8. Hi Maria,

    Love your recipes they are so easy and delicious tried this fish curry and prawn biryani they were a hit in my home ,thanks a ton :)

    Reply

  9. Hi Maria,

    Tried this as well for the weekend…loved it. A change from the routine Meen curry (red one – I love that too).

    Reply

  10. hai mariya,
    am really happy to write you.my husband is very much tasty with “varutharacha meen curry” and i prepared that to follow with your reciepie. and we are happy to say its too tasty, thanks

    Reply

  11. hai mariya,
    am really happy to write you.my husband is very much tasty with “varutharacha meen curry” and i prepared that to follow with your reciepie. and we are happy to say its too tasty, thanks

    Reply

  12. Hi Maria, this is first time i am writing to you but i have been trying out your recipes for a long time now. Must say that they all turnout superbly yummy. my husband jokingly asks too “what has our maria cheichi taught you today”..and “you must be her fav student for cooking up so well”….and so on.. oo Maria… i can’t thank you enough for sharing your excellent recipes. but still a big big Thank you for your blog… Love you.

    Asha Nair

    Reply

    • Hi Asha,

      Thank you so much for your beautiful comment dear :) It means a lot to me.

      It’s a pleasure to know that the recipes from here works well for you..

      Please say my thanks to your husband too..

      Happy cooking!

      Cheers
      Maria

      Reply

    • Hi Asha,

      Thank you so much for your beautiful comment dear :) It means a lot to me.

      It’s a pleasure to know that the recipes from here works well for you..

      Please say my thanks to your husband too..

      Happy cooking!

      Cheers
      Maria

      Reply

  13. Hi Maria, this is first time i am writing to you but i have been trying out your recipes for a long time now. Must say that they all turnout superbly yummy. my husband jokingly asks too “what has our maria cheichi taught you today”..and “you must be her fav student for cooking up so well”….and so on.. oo Maria… i can’t thank you enough for sharing your excellent recipes. but still a big big Thank you for your blog… Love you.

    Asha Nair

    Reply

  14. Hi Maria I have tried quite few recipes of yours..they r all lip smacking…now it’s in my routine to log on to ur blog everyday ….keep up the good work…and I am looking forward to more recipes from you…

    Reply

  18. Hi Maria,
    Tried the varutharachu kari..and it came out really well… Thanks a lot for the recipe, :) Have added this to my fav’ list..

    Neethu

    Reply

  19. Maria…I have to tell you this…I have fallen in love with your site! Today I tried this recipe and it came out great! : ) It was a lot browner than your pic though…we all enjoyed it! What I love about your site is that your recipes are easy and doesn’t consume time which is a blessing for someone like me who likes to spend the least time in the kitchen! :D Thank you for this amazing site!

    Reply

    • Hi Annet,

      Thanks a bunch dear for your wonderful comment :) I do hope your love affair with my site grow stronger ;)

      I also dont like to spend much time in kitchen, so I usually go for such kinda recipes.

      Cheers
      Maria

      Reply

  23. Hi Maria,
    thank you very much, Maria. superb curry and simple to make. i am a big fan of yours!

    Can you put some good recipes of Squid (Kanava)dishes

    Reply

  26. this looks so tempting…..i want to make it tonite…..can i use dori fillets???? coz i have nothing else with me right now at home…thanks a million…..we love the kerala fish curries !!!!!

    Reply

  29. i tried this dish..it was delicious i did little variations..added dried coconut instead of fresh as did not have fresh n sauted pearl onions with mustard,cumin seeds n then grinded with dried coconut…though i am a vege,it was appreciated by all at home..thks fr sharing

    Reply

  32. Hi Maria….Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.I tried it twice and came out well.Second time when i tried,i added fried pearl onion mustard seeds and red chillies at last,it gave a nice aroma and taste to this fish curry!!Once again thanks for this recipe

    Reply

  33. Hi Maria… Firstly thanks for the lovely blog and the amazing recipes!!!! I tried this recipe and turned out very good… But was a tinge bitter coz of the fenugreek seeds… R u sure we need to add 1 tsp of fenugreek seeds… Pls lemme knw… Thank u once again n God bless!!!!

    Reply

    • Hi Chandrika,

      Thanks a bunch for your kind words of encouragement dear.

      About the fenugreek seeds, I usually give measurements based on how much I use. So I’m not sure why it happened like that. There is also a slight chance that the bitter taste can come from kudampuli… sometime the puli I use have a bitter taste, so…

      Thank you very much for your wishes dear and wish you too the very best in life :)

      Cheers
      Maria

      Reply

    • Hi Chandrika, I think the bitter taste comes from overroasting the coconut. Mine was roasted to dark brown instead of golden brown and I had reduced the amount of fenugreek to 1/2 tsp. so I think the bitterness comes from over roasting. I should have checked the pic Maria uploaded before starting. I am a novice cook myself, so I might be wrong. Hope not to repeat the same mistake again. :)

      Reply

      • Hi,

        Thank you so much for taking time to clarify one of the queries here, appreciate it very much :)

        As you said, if the coconut is over fried, it might cause a bitter taste.

        Cheers
        Maria

        Reply

  34. it took me a very long time to dry roast the coconut etc. – does it normally take that long or did I do something wrong? 
    Also, I noticed that in other recipes, you ask that the gravy ingredients be fried in 1tsp oil – will it change the taste if I do that here? 
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Pramila,

      Yeah it takes some time to dry roast the coconut. Because if you fry it on high flame, it will get burnt fast, so it has to be done on low flame and so it takes minimum 10 mins. You can use oil in this recipe also, it wont affect the taste.

      Cheers
      Maria

      Reply

  38. Hey Maria !!! Thanks a million for posting this recipe. I was on the look out for a varuthuaracha meen curry dish since a long time and lo…behold !!! The colour and consistency of this dish has always fascinated me :-) . So I will try it and let you know. And Happy Easter in advance !

    Reply

    • Hi Mary,

      Thanks a lot for your wishes and for the comment. Hope you too had a wonderful Easter! Good to know that you were searching for this kinda recipe… Pls do try it when time permits.

      Cheers
      Maria

      Reply

  39. Wow what a mouth watering recipe.  As it is i havn’t had fish curry since long, now i will very soon  try your recipe.
    Thanks maria

    Reply

  40. You added curry leaves when u added ginger garlic n all..athu vittu paranju alle ;) he he..just kidding..looking forward to try this one as soon as lent is ovr!   hope its as good or even better than thenga aracha meen curry..does it have a theeyal knida taste?

    Reply

  41. I have never made fish curry like this so really interested to try this out next time.Like you said varutha arachathu is for thiyal or kadala curry or some meat dishes as far as I am concerned. Fishcurry is either red(vevichathu) or yellow one with green mango/kokum with coconut milk Kerala styleThis looks mouthwatering.

    Reply

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