Last Updated on December 14, 2020 by Chef Mireille
Kokum, part of the mangosteen family, gives this Kerala style curry it’s awesome tangy flavor.
Kokum is sold in Indian markets. It is dried fruit skin and comes from a member of the mangostene family. It has a very tart flavor and adds an awesome taste to curries and is also used in beverages in Indian cuisine. I used some kokum to make this Kerala style Kokum Fish Curry. This is not the first time I have used kokum as I previously made this Kokum Rasam.
This week’s ingredients were decided on by my BM partners. My blogging friends and I met last month and had a secret ingredient exchange. We each brought three ingredients and then had to pick from the pool three ingredients to cook with. Yesterday’s polenta came from Usha and this kokum came from Rajani. Thanks for the inspiration ladies.
I also made a dal with the kokum, but those photos did not come out so well, so I decided to try a different recipe. While I liked the dal, I wouldn’t say it was one of my favorite dal recipes that I would make often. However, this fish curry is one I can enjoy over and over!
This is quite a spicy curry, so feel free to reduce the quantity of dried red chiles, if you would like a milder version. This hot, sour and spicy curry is perfect with some steamed Basmati rice.
Kokum Fish Curry
Ingredients
- 1 lb. white fish fillet I used mahi mahi
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 pieces of kokum
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek
- 3 dried red chiles
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
Instructions
- Toss fish with half of the turmeric and salt. Leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
- Soak kokum in ½ cup of warm water.
- In a dry skillet, toast fenugreek and chiles until fragrant. Using a spice/coffee grinder, grind to a fine powder
- In a skillet, heat oil. Add mustard seed. After a few seconds, add curry leaves, onion and garlic. Saute until onions are translucent.
- Add fenugreek chile powder. Add kokum with its water plus 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- Add fish and simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Taste and adjust salt, if necessary.
A quick and easy curry!
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The curry looks so nice Mir..
Slurp slurp, this fish curry looks simply delicious and fingerlicking definitely.
yes it is a spicy and flavorful curry
Though i have heard about kokum a lot, never tried it so far, your curry really tempting me to try.
kokum adds a great tart flavor
The lazy me always substitute kokum with tamarind. 😉 😉 I need to get it and give a try. Nicely done
its now readily available in most Indian markets in US
We usually use tamarind in Fish ,.. Using kokum is a wise way:)
kokum added a great tart flavor which compliments fish perfectly – just as good as tamarind
Pradnya gave me some kokum couple years ago and am yet to use it. Fish curry looks spicy and flavorful.
Kokum is used in Kerala non vegetarian cuisine, especially fish curries like this one :-). I am glad you liked it Mireille!
thanks for the inspiration Rajani!
Goans use a lot of kokum Mir its one of their staple ingredients and the tamarind always takes a backseat in Goan cooking. The fish curry sounds delicious I cannot say anything about the cooking part but will love it with boiled rice!
Kokum has definitely grown on me, but I cant say really which I prefer kokum or tamarind – like them both
What a fantastic dish! Been wanting to use the kokum, still not come around!..
if I can get and try the kokum all the way here in NYC, you should definitely try it over there 🙂
That is such a flavorful fish curry Mir.
thanks – yes kokum compliments fish well
Must be a flavorsome curry, though i have pack of kokum, never have used it!! should start with a simple sharbat first!! 🙂
I’ve also used it in rasam in the past. I think you will love it as rasam also!