Nadan Mathi/Sardine curry

Ingredients
8-10 sardines
5 shallots
4 garlic cloves
1/2" ginger piece
6-7 sprigs curry leaves
4-5 tablespoons Kashmiri chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
2 gambooge/kudampulli, soaked in water and torn into small pieces
salt
coconut oil

Method

• Clean the sardines well. Rub little salt all over the fish and wash again. Make slits on each fish and keep aside.
• Grind the shallots, ginger, garlic, chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, fenugreek powder and few curry leaves into a fine paste.
• Marinate the fish with the grinded paste, kudampulli pieces and salt and keep aside.
• Heat a wide bottomed pan, preferably a mann chatti(earthen pot). Pour 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and rotate the chatti, so that the oil spreads all over the bottom of the chatti.
• Arrange 4 sprigs of curry leaves in the hot oil. Now place the marinated fish over the sprigs of curry leaves.
• Pour little water so that the water covers the fish. Allow this to boil.
• Rotate the chatti at regular intervals so that the curry is well mixed. Do not stir as this will cause the fish pieces to break off.
• Once it starts boiling, put the remaining sprigs of curry leaves on top the curry and reduce the flame to low.
• Allow this to simmer for 20 minutes or until the gravy thickens and the water is evaporated. Do not forget to rotate the chatti in between.
• Now switch off the flame and drizzle little coconut oil on the curry and serve.
• This nadan fish curry tastes best the next day!!!

Note: This is a very spicy dish. Kerala nadan fish curries are supposed to be very spicy. However you can adjust the chili powder levels according to your taste.