Andhra Chepa Pulusu – Fish Cooked in Tamarind Sauce

Ingredients:

• 7-8 fish fillets (mackarel or catfish or tilapia)
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 4 slit green chillis
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp cumin pwd
• 1 tsp coriander pwd
• 1 1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
• 4 tbsp tamarind extract
• 1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
• 10-12 curry leaves
• 1 big lemon-sized tamarind pulp (soak tamarind in 2 cups of warm water and extract thick juice)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup oil

Tempering:

• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek)

Heat oil in a wide vessel and add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add the methi seeds and let it brown.Add the curry leaves and stir for a few seconds.
Now add the chopped onions and fry on medium heat till the onions turn transparent. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 3 mts.Add the turmeric pwd,coriander pwd,cumin pwd,red chilli pwd and salt and fry for a minute.Now add the tamarind extract and bring it to boil.
Now carefully place the fish pieces in the vessel and cook covered for 3 mts.Add the green chillis. Turn the fish pieces over and cook.Cover and cook on low heat for 10 mts.Let the sauce thicken and till the oil seperates or leaves the sides of the vessel.Adjust salt and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Note: Do not stir too much lest the fish pieces break and be gentle while stirring the fish pieces.Serve it after a couple of hours of cooking so that the fish pieces absorb the tangy flavour of the tamarind sauce and spices.In Andhra, we generally prepare this pulusu with Koramenu,Vanjaram,Thella chepa or Bocha. Generally we dry roast the coriander seeds,cumin seeds and dry red chillis and make a powder for this dish.You can use the ready made powders also to save time.But if you have time to spare it would be best to dry roast the spices and make a powder.