Fish Fort Cochin or Fish Fort Kochi is a delicious recipe for people who love experimenting with fish curry. We heard about this dish two years ago when my dad met someone from Fort Kochi who detailed how to concoct this incredibly tasty curry. The original name of this dish is unknown but we started calling it Fish Fort Kochi. Here is how you can prepare it:

Ingredients

1. Fish, cut in medium sized pieces (any fleshy fish would do) – 1 kg

2. Peeled and crushed garlic – 1 handful (small hand)

3. Crushed Ginger – 1 (3 inches long)

4. Green Chilly – 10 (cut into small pieces)

5. Tomato – 1 (big, cut into small pieces)

6. Kudampuli (Gambooge) – 1 (big, cut into pieces)

7. Chilly powder – 4 teaspoons

8. Coriander powder – 2 teaspoons

9. Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoons

10. Coconut oil – 3 tablespoons

11. Clay pot

Preparation

1. Apply turmeric over the fish nicely and keep it aside

2. Heat the oil in the clay pot until it boils and add the ginger, garlic and green chilly and cook until golden brown

3. Add tomato to this mixture and stir for 5 minutes

4. Add chilly powder and coriander powder and stir slightly for 5 more minutes

5. Add water in stages in small quantities. Make sure that the gravy is in paste form and never gets too fluid. Stir continuously.

6. Add salt and kudampuli and once the gravy starts boiling add the fish

7. One the fish starts heating up in the boiling gravy, reduce the flame

8. Stir the center of the clay pot so that the gravy doesn’t burn and stick on it

9. Once most of the water boils away, stop the flame and let it cool

Special Instructions

It is preferable to eat this preparation after it has cooled. If you can wait for a day, better. The specialty of this curry is that it doesn’t use onion at all. Be careful not to add onion even by mistake. If you are keeping it for a day, do not take it off the clay pot. It is advisable to use ginger and garlic in their natural form instead of buying the paste.

Enjoy the dish and Let me know your feedback.