Andhra Chinthakaya Chepala Pulusu ( Fish cooked in spicy raw tamarind gravy)

Chinthakaya Chepala Pulusu

I am born and brought in Visakhapatnam also called as Vizag ( City of Destiny), it has a got a very beautiful scenic beach , good seafood , sweet,friendly people and if i start telling about Vizag it will be never ending list. Right from my childhood I just loved fish and my mom used to make the best fish curry. Oh my god thought of that itself is making me feel nostalgic.As i am great fan of fish my first recipe in this blog is Fish pulusu :).

Chinthakayalu, Raw Tamarind

I saw Chinthakayalu (raw tamarind) at Indian groceries last week and immediately bought them and rushed to Ranch market to get fish to make this delicious, traditional and authentic Chintakaya chepala pulusu. Yesterday it was freezing cold in Houston so i made this pulusu and it came out so well, me and my hubby just loved it with Ragi Sangati(Rayalaseema special) will be posting its recipe very soon.

Ingredients:

1/2 kg or 1 lb Fish (Tilapia/Mackarel/Grass Carp)

Marinate the fish with 1tbsp of red chilli powder, salt and lemon juice and keep aside for 1 hr.

8 - 10 big chinthakayalu (raw tamarind as shown in the above picture)

Clean them in water to remove the dirt on it then pressure cook them with sufficient water for 2 whistles or boil them in water till they are tender,don't throw the water away, let them cool and then peel the skin off and using hands take the juice into the water in which it is boiled. Add little salt,red chili powder and coriander powder 1 tsp each to this tamarind paste and keep aside.

2 medium size Onions (Preferrably Red)- cut into small pieces

5 -6 Green chilies- slit lengthwise

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

3-4 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds or methi seeds

2 dry red chillis, de-seed and tear

10-12 fresh curry leaves

pinch of turmeric

1 tsp red chili powder (adjust according to your spice, I like mine to be very spicy)

2 tsp coriander powder

salt to taste

2 -3 tsp oil

For dry powder:

1 tsp coriander seeds and 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

dry roast them without oil and make powder

For paste:

1 green chili and 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

make paste with above ingredients and keep aside.

Preparation:

1. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a heavy bottomed pan and fry fish for just 2 -3 mins so that fish stay in shape once you boil in pulusu/gravy
2. Heat Oil in a wide pan, add mustard seeds as they splutter add cumin seeds,fenugreek seeds, crushed garlic, red chillies and curry leaves and saute them for 1/2 min.
3. Now add onions, green chillies and cook till onions are transparent. Add turmeric and salt and saute for 1 min.Add red chili powder, coriander powder and fry till the raw smell leaves.
4. Add Fish and mix well with onions mixture. saute them for 3 mins.
5. Now add the chinthakaya pulusu or the raw tamarind paste,some water and let it boil without lid for 5 mins. After that place the lid and let it cook for 5-8 mins(don't stir the gravy frequently as the fish pieces may break )and adjust the spices accordingly.
6. Now take the lid off and cook till it reaches your desired consistency.
7. Add the green chili,mustard seeds paste and the coriander and fenugreek seeds powder and mix well and don't cook for long time after you add these powders as it may give bitter taste to the curry.
8. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and turn the stove off.
9. Serve it with hot rice or ragi sangati/ragi balls.

My husband love to have this hot and tangy fish pulusu with Ragi Sangati as he is from Rayalaseema and ragi sangati is very famous over there.

Chinthakaya Chepala Pulusu and Ragi Sangati

Hope everyone enjoyed this recipe. Please share your valuable comments on this post :)