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Meen Muringakka Curry/Fish Drumstick Curry




Meen Muringakka Curry/Fish Drumstick Curry

Meen Muringakka curry is very popular in South Kerala especially Trivandrum. Muringakka or moringa oleifera/moringa is a very common vegetable in Kerala. It is grown in home gardens and is used in curries like Sambar and aviyal. Drumstick is an exceptionally nutritious vegetable and is always good to incorporate into your diet. This type of curry is a traditional age-old recipe. I grew up eating this fish curry and for me, it represents absolute comfort homey food. This is how my mom and grandmother make fish curry and they make the best meen muringakka curry ever.  

The cuisine of coastal regions has fish as an indispensable part of an everyday meal. There are different regional versions. Some fish curries use coconut milk and kudampili or Malabar tamarind. There is also the fiery red curry made without coconuts. 

Now you may ask what makes this fish curry special?
Let me tell you, few ingredients make this fish curry special. It is spicy, tangy and creamy curry that goes well with rice or kappa/tapioca 
The key ingredient is drumstick-This spicy fish curry has the unique and noticeable flavor of drumstick. Other vegetables that are used in this recipe are big chilly or tondan mulaku. You can also add mango to this curry, but make sure to reduce the amount of tamarind. Mom usually adds mango to choora meen and nei meen or kingfish. These two fish taste best for this type of curry. But you can use any type of fish.
Ground coconut paste -finely ground coconut paste is mixed in coconut milk to make the gravy. This gives the curry a creamy rich texture.
Roasting the spices- The spices are roasted to bring out the essential oil and make it aromatic and extremely flavorful. Coconut oil and roasted curry leaves give a nice aroma.
Tangy tamarind- For Trivandrum fish curry regular tamarind or vaalan puli is used instead of Kudampuli. But if you are a fan of the smoky flavor of kudampuli, go ahead and use it. It tastes delicious too.
Try this homey fish curry, you will surely love it!
  

Trivandrum Style Meen Muringikka Curry

Cooking time- 20 minutes
Recipe type- Curry/ Fish
Cuisine- Kerala

Ingredients
Fish - 1 lb
Drumsticks pieces- 12- 15
Tondan mulaku or green chilly- 3
Pearl onion- 8-10
Ginger - 1inch thick
Coconut grated- 3/4 cup
Coconut milk- 2 cup
Whole red chilly- 6-8 
(add according to tolerance)
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds-1 tbs
Fenugreek seeds- 1/3 tsp
Black pepper- 1/2 tsp
Tamarind- one lemon size ball
mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves- a few
In a pan add a teaspoon of oil and fry dry red chilly, coriander seeds, black pepper, and fenugreek seeds. Roast in a low flame for 3-4 minutes till there is a nice aroma. Allow it to cool down.
Soak tamarind in warm water and set aside. After some time mash it and extract the thick tamarind pulp. Add more water and repeat the process until you have about two cups of tamarind water.
In a blender add grated coconut, roasted spices and enough tamarind water to make a smooth paste.
Clean and cut fish. Wash and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. When they splutter add chopped shallots, green chilly and salt and saute till onion changes color. Add the ground paste and roast for a minute. Next, add the tamarind water and adjust consistency
Bring this to a boil and slide in the fish pieces and muringakka/drumsticks. Cover and cook on high heat for about a minute and then reduce and cook till the fish is done and the gravy thickens. Finally, drizzle one tsp of fresh coconut oil and add a few curry leaves. Serve with rice.

You might also like,
Kerala Meen Mulaku Curry
Karimeen Molly
Naadan Vaala Meen Curry
Fried Fish Curry/Pomfret Fish Curry
Meen Podimas
Mashed Tapioca/Kappa Vevichathu

For more fish recipes check my page 100 Fish/Other Seafood Recipes.

Try this...
Hope you will all enjoy..

Labels:

Comments

  1. AarthiNovember 28, 2011 at 7:27 AM

    yummy curry

    ReplyDelete
  2. fasiNovember 28, 2011 at 8:13 AM

    nice combo.... delicious looking curry...so inviting

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  3. Sayantani Mahapatra MudiNovember 28, 2011 at 9:07 AM

    ov such curries. what a gorgeous colour.

    ReplyDelete
  4. KurryleavesNovember 28, 2011 at 9:18 AM

    awesome combo..curry looks really delicious...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sushma MallyaNovember 28, 2011 at 9:42 AM

    Looks so authentic...love the color and combo...yum!

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownNovember 28, 2011 at 11:00 AM

    Delicious curry. One of my childhood friends brings this often for my friends. Yummy and tasty!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Christy GeraldNovember 28, 2011 at 1:08 PM

    Yumm and rich Fish Curry Dear.Very addictive as usual.Luv it

    ReplyDelete
  8. divyaNovember 28, 2011 at 3:42 PM

    Slurp,finger-licking curry..love it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. SwathiNovember 28, 2011 at 4:52 PM

    Adipoli meen curry, muringka fresh annu. evide kittan illa. enniku frozen ishtamilla.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Reshmi MaheshNovember 28, 2011 at 6:10 PM

    Adipoli curry...Very delicious...

    ReplyDelete
  11. NithaNovember 28, 2011 at 6:26 PM

    Looks great.. yumm..

    ReplyDelete
  12. cookingvarietiesNovember 28, 2011 at 7:24 PM

    hi suja, with the many spices used, i believe this fish curry taste delicious.. they look delicious

    ReplyDelete
  13. PushpaNovember 28, 2011 at 9:24 PM

    Spicy and delicious curry.

    ReplyDelete
  14. NishaNovember 28, 2011 at 9:40 PM

    Yummy curry , never tried this combo .

    ReplyDelete
  15. UnknownNovember 29, 2011 at 1:54 AM

    Lovely yummy curry..

    ReplyDelete
  16. UrmiNovember 29, 2011 at 2:25 AM

    I liked the combination of fish and drumstick. Unique dish. Looks spicy and yummy.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Priya SureshNovember 29, 2011 at 2:32 AM

    Never tried adding muringakka in fish curry,looks awesome and tempting.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sarah NaveenNovember 29, 2011 at 10:07 AM

    ugran curry!!!! adipoli!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Ganga SreekanthNovember 29, 2011 at 11:36 AM

    adipoli fish curry....ithiri kappa vevichathu kudi venam:)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Sobha ShyamNovember 29, 2011 at 1:22 PM

    looks spicy and delicious..

    ReplyDelete
  21. Vikis KitchenNovember 29, 2011 at 2:22 PM

    Drumstick and fish curry seems nice dear. So far I have added drumstick to dry fish curry alone....should try your curry one day....Mouthwatering for me:)

    ReplyDelete
  22. aipiNovember 29, 2011 at 9:02 PM

    Curry looks spot on!
    USMasala

    ReplyDelete
  23. Treat and TrickNovember 29, 2011 at 11:56 PM

    Simply inviting and so yum!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Only Fish RecipesNovember 30, 2011 at 2:55 AM

    fish curry looks absolutely delicious dear...I have an award for u in my space...plz visit n collect it :-)

    ReplyDelete
  25. ShanaviNovember 30, 2011 at 4:19 AM

    PLz pass the bowl to me Suja, It's been nearly a decade since I had meen maanga curry

    ReplyDelete
  26. TinaNovember 30, 2011 at 4:56 AM

    iyyooooo kothivarunne..adipoli...

    ReplyDelete
  27. AnonymousDecember 25, 2011 at 10:18 AM

    Where to add muringa?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Suja ManojDecember 25, 2011 at 10:54 AM

    Thanks for stopping by..I missed it,you add along with fish..Thanks..hope you will like it:)

    ReplyDelete

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