The Mango Meen Curry was accidentally conceived in the kitchen, while trying to balance a salty curry with a sweet element. So I wanted to make a south indian inspired pomfret curry, to make use of the week old curry leaves going dry. But even after I added all the ingredients that I had initially planned to add, it felt like the curry was missing something. Something to round off the flavours and add some body to the otherwise watery broth. And that is when I had my Eureka moment💡. After adding in a generous dose of luscious, golden mango pulp and simmering the curry, I got a dish which I will certainly replicate over and over again 😃.

So here is how I made my Pomfret Curry with Mango.

Ingredients:

1. Pomfret: 6-8 medium sized
2. Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp approx
3. Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp approx
4. Ginger paste: 2 tbsp
5. Lemon Juice: Of one medium sized 🍋
6. Oil: 5-6 tbsp (any flavourless oil)
7. Whole mustard seeds: 1 tsp
8. Dry Red Chilli: 3-4
9. Curry Leaves: 3-4 sprigs
10. Hing (Asafoetida): A pinch
11. Coconut Cream: One Cup
12. Mango Pulp: Of 2 ripe mangoes
13. Salt: To taste

Method:

1. Clean and score the fish.
2. Make a marinade of ingredients numbered 2 to 5 along with some salt.
3. Rub the marinade onto the fish, making sure it goes into all the crevices and let it rest for 30 minutes.
4. Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish 3-4 minutes on each side on medium flame without cover. Be careful not to take it too far and make it dry.
5. Take out the fish and keep aside.
6. In the same pan add the remaining oil. Once heated, add ingredients numbered 7 to 10, as tempering. Step away and let it crackle and sizzle for a minute.
7. Add in the coconut cream.
8. Add salt.
9. Add the mango pulp.
10. Check seasoning and adjust if required.
11. Add in the fried fish gently and cover with the sauce. Don’t mix the things in the pan too much after adding the fish to ensure they remain intact.
12. Let it simmer with a lid on. Once the gravy is of a consistency of your liking, turn off the heat.

The texture of the curry turned out to be velvety, and the flavours were well rounded. I plan to add in a little tamarind pulp to add some extra tartness next time I make it, as tamarind, mango and coconut are very compatible with each other. Also, coconut oil may be a good choice of cooking medium for this one.

Happy cooking 😊.