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Goan Fish Curry

October 17, 2018 by Suguna Vinodh 29 Comments

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goan-fish-curry-recipe-15

Recipe for Goan Fish Curry made with home made goan fish curry paste and spices. Recipe with step by step pictures.

Here are other fish recipes from the site.
Fish Recipes

Here is the video of how to make Goan Fish Curry

I came across this Goan fish curry from the Instagram handle of Chef Floyd Cardoz. I have been eyeing the recipe for a long time. Finally I made it today. Its a very simple recipe and comes together in no time. A simple goan masala is ground and this paste is what makes for the base of this curry. The bright red color is from the Byadagi chillies / Kashmiri Chillies. The addition of the famed konkani spice “Teppal” makes the curry very aromatic and unique in taste. The fish steaks are slow cooked / poached in the curry and it tastes so divine. Everyday comfort food!!!
I think Teppal / Tirphul / Tripala is the least known spice in South India. It is the most common konkani spice that is used extensively in Coastal Karnataka and Goan cuisine. Teppal is a close cousin of sichuan peppercorn and has a strong biting taste. Very little of this spice is used as its very strong and can make the tongue numb if too much of it is added. The Teppal berries are dried and the seeds are discarded. The outer coating is what is used as a spice to flavor the curries. It is usually not eaten. It is discarded at the end just like the normal spices – cinnamon, clove etc.. It can flare up the tongue when accidentally bitten into just like sichuan peppercorn.
PS: Please note that Teppal / Tirphul spice is very different from the ayurvedic triphala powder.
goan-fish-curry-recipe-13

The bright red color of the fish curry comes from bydagi chillies. Byadagi Chillies come from the Haveri district in Karnataka. The chilli is long and wrinkled and deeply red. Its not very hot but imparts a dark color and aroma. Its not a very spicy variety of chilli. So if you can get Byadagi chillies, its good. Else you can use Kashmiri chillies.
udupi-sambar-recipe-byadagi-chillies

Here is how to do Goan Fish Curry.
Homemade masala paste
We need to make a raw paste. Here is what you will need. If you do not have Teppal, just omit it.
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Grind all the ingredients for the masala paste with half a cup of water. Grind to a very smooth paste. Set aside.

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Salt the fish steaks. Sprinkle half a teaspoon of salt on both sides of the fish. Set aside. I have used sea salt. I have used the fish variety called Indian Salmon (Rawas Fish) today.
goan-fish-curry-recipe-2

Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the sliced onions. Saute for a few minutes till the onions are soft.
goan-fish-curry-recipe-5

Add in the ground paste. Add in the turmeric powder and the salt. (The fish is already salted. So go easy on the salt). Saute for 4-5 minutes till the masala is cooked and the mixture looks dry.
goan-fish-curry-recipe-6

Add a cup of water to the empty mixie jar and wash off all the leftover masala paste and add it back to the pan.
goan-fish-curry-recipe-7

Soak half a lime size tamarind in one cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind in the water to extract all the juices. Strain the juice and set aside the tamarind pulp / juice. Discard the tamarind seeds and the pith.
goan-fish-curry-recipe-4

One of the main ingredients for the Goan Fish Curry is Kodampuli – Malabar Tamarind. Kodambuli – Malabar Tamarind is a dried fruit used in curries as a souring agent. It gives the curries a sweet sourness and its slightly smoky. Do not use a lot of it. Add three pieces of kodampuli to the pan. Also add the tamarind pulp to the pan.
goan-fish-curry-recipe-8

Add in one more cup of water to the pan.
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Cover the pan and let the curry simmer for 20 minutes on a medium flame. Mix the curry once in a while to avoid scorching at the bottom of the pan.
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Add in the salted fish pieces. Cover the pan and let it simmer on a very LOW flame for 20 minutes. Let the fish poach on a low flame.
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The fish curry is ready after 20 minutes. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary. Discard the kodampuli.
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Serve hot with rice.
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Print
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goan-fish-curry-recipe-1

Goan Fish Curry


★★★★★

4.8 from 5 reviews

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 55 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Description

Recipe for Goan Fish Curry made with home made goan fish curry paste and spices. Recipe with step by step pictures.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Masala Paste

  • 1/2 cup coconut
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 4 teppal berries
  • 7 bydagi chillies
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

Other Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 onion, sliced (1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • half a lime size tamarind
  • 3 pieces kodampuli

For salting the fish

  • 500 grams fish steaks
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Grind all the ingredients for the masala paste with half a cup of water. Grind to a very smooth paste. Set aside.
  2. Salt the fish steaks. Sprinkle half a teaspoon of salt on both sides of the fish. Set aside.
  3. Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the sliced onions. Saute for a few minutes till the onions are soft.
  4. Add in the ground paste. Add in the turmeric powder and the salt.
  5. Saute for 4-5 minutes till the masala is cooked and the mixture looks dry.
  6. Add a cup of water to the empty mixie jar and wash off all the leftover masala paste and add it back to the pan.
  7. Soak half a lime size tamarind one cup of water for 20 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind in the water to extract all the juices. Strain the juice and set aside the tamarind pulp / juice. Discard the tamarind seeds and the pith.
  8. Add three pieces of kodampuli to the pan. Also add the tamarind pulp to the pan.
  9. Add in one more cup of water to the pan. Cover the pan and let the curry simmer for 20 minutes on a medium flame. Mix the curry once in a while to avoid scorching at the bottom of the pan.
  10. Add in the salted fish pieces. Cover the pan and let it simmer on a very LOW flame for 20 minutes. Let the fish poach on a low flame.
  11. The fish curry is ready after 20 minutes. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary. Discard the kodampuli.
  12. Serve hot with rice.
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Goan

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Suguna Vinodh

I'm Suguna Vinodh aka Kannamma. I love south Indian food and I am passionate about baking. My Favorite things include my Wusthof knife, Coffee, Ilayaraja, Tamil and beaches. I love Jacques Pepin and Julia Child.

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Comments

  1. Raman Menon says

    February 23, 2021 at 9:41 pm

    Made the fish curry in recipe with king fish. Turned out very tasty and unique. Kudos and keep it up.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      February 24, 2021 at 11:14 am

      Thank you so much.

      Reply
  2. harish Phartyal says

    October 19, 2020 at 9:56 pm

    Awesome

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      October 19, 2020 at 10:21 pm

      Thank You!

      Reply
  3. p says

    September 17, 2020 at 8:39 pm

    It was perfect, added peper instead of triphal and tomoatoes instead of tamarind. Still tastes exactly like i used to have in goa. Thank you 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      September 18, 2020 at 3:00 pm

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
    • p says

      September 30, 2020 at 10:44 pm

      Hi Suguna, can i use dessicated coconut if i dont have fresh for this recipe? Thanks

      Reply
      • Suguna Vinodh says

        September 30, 2020 at 11:59 pm

        You will need fresh coconut for this recipe.

        Reply
  4. maria says

    August 1, 2020 at 12:44 pm

    Hi Suguna
    i m going to try ur goan fish curry but i dont have kodampuli with me so what should i add , will my curry not be tasty if i dont add kodampuli

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      August 2, 2020 at 12:01 am

      You will need kodampuli for this recipe. You can use tamarind but the taste wont be the same.

      Reply
  5. Jenny says

    July 17, 2020 at 10:05 am

    All thanks to you for providing enough info about the berry that I could source it in the US!

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 17, 2020 at 2:17 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  6. Jenny says

    July 17, 2020 at 9:50 am

    Thank you for keeping Floyd’s culinary magic alive!

    COVID 19 took him away, he was one of the first casualties… RIP Floyd!

    I was looking for teppal/triphal, which we call templa/temphla in Goa and my search brought me to your site.

    Kashmiri chillies are practically a staple in Goan cusine.

    Reply
  7. Samantha says

    June 28, 2020 at 8:29 pm

    Looks amazing!! What kind of fish would you recommend for this dish? We tend to eat a lot of snapper, salmon, tuna, basa or barramundi where we’re at.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 29, 2020 at 12:49 am

      Tuna and Basa – avoid. Tuna will over power the curry while basa has no flavour. The rest will work.

      Reply
  8. Sajid says

    June 8, 2020 at 2:40 am

    I have seen your recipe is really good and helpful. Thank you

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      June 8, 2020 at 3:00 am

      Thank you so much 🙂

      Reply
  9. Kalika Arora says

    May 21, 2020 at 11:47 pm

    Hello,

    Thank you for a great recipe.
    I am in the process of making it and seems like I have into an issue.

    I used Kashmiri chilies without the seeds and it has become really hot!
    The color, it seems, comes only when dip the Kashmiri chilies in water and I didn’t put them so I am not getting any color.

    Don’t know what to do- add more coconut, add milk, add haldi!

    Kindly help.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      May 22, 2020 at 2:45 am

      If it has become spicy adding some coconut milk will make it mild.

      Reply
  10. Ranjan says

    April 1, 2019 at 2:28 am

    Great recipe. Came pretty close to what I had at Ritz Classic, Panjim.
    Thank you very very much for this great dish 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  11. Foodie says

    March 3, 2019 at 2:03 am

    Amazing!

    Tried this recipe twice. Once with shrimp and second time with Salmon. It turned out to be great both the times. Kudos to Suguna.

    With Salmon, I used both tamarind and kodumpalli(kokum) from ready made pump. I used tamarind bit less to start with and then adjusted the kokum pulp to get right amount of sourness during simmering. I also added dried 2-3 tepple berries in the curry during simmering.

    Thanks Suguna.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      March 7, 2019 at 12:54 pm

      Thank You!

      Reply
  12. maria.K says

    November 3, 2018 at 12:06 am

    hi, planning to try – but first i must lay my hands on teppal.
    any substitute for this? or is it seasonal?
    i know you are very clear, but just want to make sure, because
    most recipes use kokum and
    kudampulli inerchangeably.
    the claw shaped tamarind is the flavour i love for fish curries.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      November 3, 2018 at 8:39 pm

      Hi Maria, you can omit the teppal and just use kodampuli. Not kokum

      Reply
      • Siddharth Ray says

        November 18, 2018 at 1:06 am

        Hi Suguna,

        Your recipe is pretty close to what I had in Goa recently. I’d like to mention though it was with Kokum and was fabulous.

        Somebody asked if you could without Teppal and my answer would be NO. 🙂 You cannot have a Goan fish curry without this amazing spice. What I had was actually fresh Teppal (they are green small berry like fruits) and flavor was out of the world.

        Thanks for sharing.

        Keep rocking Kannamma !!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
  13. Sheela says

    October 27, 2018 at 12:37 pm

    Thanks after a long time found a recipe I loved the taste.. couldn’t upload to your blog
    But thank you once again
    Sheela (Australia)

    Reply
  14. ShaliniArun says

    October 23, 2018 at 7:40 pm

    Good recipe

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Viji says

      July 23, 2020 at 10:58 am

      I don’t have “teppal berries” handy, What should I replace it with please?

      Reply
      • Suguna Vinodh says

        July 23, 2020 at 1:59 pm

        Just omit it.

        Reply

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I’m Suguna, a former financial analyst, now a full-time food blogger. Welcome to my space. I share recipes gathered from my friends and family here. I am passionate about South Indian food. I crazy love knives. A sharp knife is a girls best friend. Hope you like the recipes here. Happy Cooking. Read more.....

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