Alleppey Style Fish Curry with Brown Rice

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A tangy and spicy curry accompanying a crispy, air fried fish, served on a bed of brown rice is what this Alleppey style fish curry is all about. It makes for an incredibly delicious meal that you can whip up for lunch during a weekend when you’re craving a delicious yet healthy meal.

Yummy and delicious Alleppey Style Fish Curry with Brown Rice

Scroll down and get a quick glimpse into everything you need to know about making the curry.

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Ingredients For the Recipe
How to Make the Alleppey Style Fish Curry
Frequently Asked Questions
Tips & Tricks to Make the Alleppey Style Fish Curry
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Ingredients For the Recipe

You’ll need three sets of ingredients to make the fish curry and the brown rice.

For the air fried fish

Onions (roughly chopped): 1 small onion
Ginger: 1 inch
Garlic: 4-5 cloves
Red chili powder: 1 tsp
Coriander powder: ½ tbsp
Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
Salt: 1 teaspoon or as per taste
Curry leaves: 2 sprigs
Fish: 2 pomfrets (or any of your choice)

For the rice

Zoom in image of Alleppey Style Fish Curry with Brown Rice

Brown rice: ¾ cup
Water: 2 cups
Salt: A pinch

For the fish curry

Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: A handful
Green chili (slit): 2-3
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Onions (chopped): ½ cup
Tomatoes (chopped): ¼ cup
Tamarind paste: 2 tbsps
Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
Red chili powder: 1 tsp
Salt: 1 teaspoon or as per taste
Coconut milk: ¼ cup
Water: 1 cup

How to Make the Alleppey Style Fish Curry

Got all your ingredients ready? Here’s the process you need to follow to make the Alleppey style fish curry from scratch.

Start by preparing the rice. Transfer the brown rice, water, and salt to a pressure cooker and pressure cook for 7 whistles or until done. Keep it aside once it’s done.

Pre-heat the air fryer at 400°F for 5 minutes.

Take onions, ginger & garlic into the blender

Add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and salt into the blender

Take a blender and add the onions, ginger, garlic, red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Blend it into a smooth paste. The paste has to be thick in consistency so that you can put it on the fish. If the paste is too thick, add a little bit of water.

Marinate the fish with earlier prepared paste

Take the fish on a plate and add the marinade and properly apply it on the fish.

Transfer the marinated fish into air fryer and start cooking

Next, spray the air fryer basket with oil. Put the marinated fish inside the air fryer.

Once it is cooked properly, transfer the fish into a wooden plate

Air fry the fishes at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until they are properly cooked.

Take oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves in a pan and saute

Now, for the fish curry, heat the coconut oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds and the curry leaves.

Add in the green chilies next.

Add chopped onions and ginger garlic paste into the pan

Add the onions and the ginger garlic paste and saute them until they turn translucent.

Add chopped tomatoes and tamarind paste into the pan

Next goes in the tomatoes and the tamarind paste. Saute for 2 minutes.

Add all the other powdered spices into the pan

Add the spices next and mix well.

Next, add the coconut milk and water and mix well. Let the curry simmer.

Add air fried fish into the curry and cook

Add the air fried fish into the curry and let it simmer for 2 minutes at low flame. You can adjust the consistency of the curry as per your choice. You can either add more water or simmer it for some more time to have a thick consistency.

Enjoy Alleppey Style Fish Curry with Brown Rice

Serve hot with prepared brown rice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Kind of Fish Can I Use?

This recipe calls for the use of pomfret, since it has a nice white, tender flesh that works wonderfully with the flavors of the dish. If you don’t have pomfret, you can use any other subtle flavored fish of your choice. Kingfish and mackerel are two good choices.

Can I Prep the Recipe in Advance?

Yes you can! Just like with most Indian curries, you can prepare the base a few days in advance, and refrigerate it in a glass jar or an airtight container until you are ready to use it.

Tips & Tricks to Make the Alleppey Style Fish Curry

Ready to give the recipe a shot? Keeping these little tips and tricks handy can really help you nail the flavors and textures.

Spicy Alleppey Style Fish Curry with Brown Rice

To make the fish more flavorful and delicious, you can marinate it the night before you plan to make it.
If you're not too keen on using fish fillets, you can also cut the fish into bite sized chunks and then use them for the recipe if that’s what you prefer.
The tamarind paste helps lend a nice bit of tanginess and sourness to the fish. If you don’t have it, you can use raw mango puree instead.
Remember not to overcrowd the air fryer basket. Leaving a little space between each chunk of fish will ensure that they are all crisped up to perfection.
To lend the dish a more earthy, rustic flavor, you can swap the coconut oil for mustard oil while making the curry.
Got any leftovers? Refrigerate them for upto 2 days in an airtight container and then reheat it in the microwave. Overnight refrigeration actually helps the flavors of the curry mature and get more intense.
To lend the curry an extra depth of flavor, use sea salt instead of regular salt.

Serving Ideas & Suggestions

Your crispy, air fried fish, dunked in the tangy curry base tastes incredible when served with some steamed brown rice or chapatis or any other flatbread of your choice. To make the meal complete, you can also prepare a quick side salad to go along with it.

Loved how flavorful and delicious this Indian curry was? Here are a few more curries and fish recipes inspired by Indian flavors that you might want to try out.

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