Dhadiyarechi Kadi ~ Mangalorean Style Curry for Croaker/Jew Fish

A classic, fiery & spicy Mangalorean style curry for Croaker/Jew fish pairs very well with piping hot unpolished boiled rice and a sautéed vegetable on the side

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mangalorean

Keyword Croaker Fish, Fish Curry, Jew Fish

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Total Time 35

Servings people

Calories 184kcal

Author Shireen Sequeira

Ingredients

1/2 kg croaker/Jew fish/dhadiyare/koddai
salt to taste
1 small-medium onion, thinly sliced
oil for frying

For the masala

6-8 long dried red chillies, Byadge or Kashmiri or any other, deseeded if you wish * see notes
8 peppercorns, adjust to taste
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 marble size ball of tamarind
2-3 dried sol pieces, dried segments of the monkey jack, souring agent * see notes
3-4 small cloves of garlic
1 medium size onion, roughly chopped
3/4 cup grated coconut

Instructions

Clean the fish thoroughly and cut into 2-3 pieces depending on how big the fish is. Marinate the fish lightly with salt as this fish is slightly bland and the salt will help bring out the flavour. Keep aside till required.
Grind all the ingredients mentioned under 'For the masala' to a fine paste with the help of a little water. For best results, if you are using a mixie, grind the dry ingredients (spices) first to a fine powder and then add the rest of the ingredients. Remove the masala and reserve the water used to rinse the mixie jar.
In a wide based pan, heat some oil and fry the onions till light golden - not brown. Add the ground masala and fry it well till the oil leaves the sides.
Add the reserved masala water and a little extra if required to adjust the consistency of the gravy. Don't make it too thin as the fish will release some of its own stock and further dilute the curry.
Add salt (but not too much as the fish has already been marinated with salt) and bring the curry to a boil. Add the fish and simmer for 2-3 minutes till it is cooked. Don't boil for too long as fish is tender and will continue to cook in the heat.
Remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

Notes

If you want to reduce the spice, you can simply deseed the chillies but do not reduce the total number of chillies as it will reduce the quantity of the gravy.
If you don't have sol you can use tamarind too.

Nutrition