“Kane- Amtekai Gassi (Lady Fish- Hogplum Curry)” … here is a tangy- delicious coastal delicacy prepared with Noglekana (Kane/ Lady Fish); a delicate sea fish valued for its mild, slightly sweet flavour with addition of monsoon veggie ambado (hogplum) and aromatic spices ground with coconut … tastes best served with ukde sheetHa (red boiled rice)/ steamed rice … Yummilicious …
** Combo of fish curry and rice go hand in hand and you really do not need any other dishes to be served along with it if you are a fishitarian. In fact there are plenty of restaurants in and around western coastal parts of India, especially in and around Konkan region were they serve rice plate- fish curry meals.
** I have often enjoyed these meals in my teens in Mangaluru, my home town with my Aanu (Dad) when I worked in his office after my graduation. It's been over 27 yrs since he left for his heavenly abode and I so do miss him and those meal outings with him that we both enjoyed so much. May his soul rest in peace.
** I always endorse that next to talking and reading, what I love the most is a meal of hot fish curry with boiled rice and when its Kane/ lady fish curry it’s just bliss. Oh, yes, I must admit that I am much more fond off tallele visonu (king fish/ surmai fries) too and I am sure most fish lovers love the same very much too.
** Noglekane (Nogli/ Kane/ lady Fish/ Mudoshi) is a fish that tastes equally good be it prepared as curry or fries. I somehow prefer curry to fries and often try to include different curries though my most favourite curry is onion seasoned gashi from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine which prepared by Amma tastes the best.
** Manglorean fishitarians swear by this fish for its taste and almost every non.veg eatery has their own special way of preparing the same to lure customers. The next time you are in Mangaluru do try to relish this fish curry/ fry and meanwhile you can try out this curry in your home and enjoy with your family.
** However, this time I tried another version from Mangaluru region, that I had learnt from my neighbor during my teens. Their Bunt community style of cooking is slightly different to ours and being a foodie I always tried learning them. Here I have used Ambado/ hogplum that's in season which imparts its own flavor to the curry.
** Do try this delicious kane/ lady fish curry and enjoy with your family and friends. If you do not prefer rice, you can always serve it with Khottige, Neer dosa, Bhakri (Roti), mildly spiced rice dishes etc. of your choice too. I always endorse that "Life is beautiful when you get to enjoy good food with family and friends".
** Here is my simple recipe for “Kane- Amtekai Gassi (Lady Fish- Hogplum Curry)” … my style, tastes best served with rice ….
** Ingredients :
Noglekana/ Kane/ Lady Fish/ Nogli/ Mudoshi : 8-10 medium sized
Ambado/ Hogplum/ Amtekai : 2-3 large sized
Ginger/ Alle’/ Adrak : 1 inch piece
Onion/ Piyavu/ Kanda : one large sized slice
Curry leaves/ Kadipatta/ Karbevu : 8-10 fresh ones
Green chillies/ Tarni Mirsanaga/ Hari Mirchi : 4-5
Coconut Oil/ Narlel Tela/ Nariyal Tel : 2 tblsp
Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste
** Masala to be ground :
Coconut/ Nariyal/ Soyi : 1.5 cups
Garlic/ Losun/ Lehsun : 3-4
Coriander seeds/ Kothambari/ Dhania : 2 tblsp
Cumin Seeds/ Jeera : ½ tsp
Fenugreek Seeds/ Methi : ¼ tsp
Pepper Corns/ Mire/ Kali Miri : ½ tsp
Kashmiri Red Chilly/ Kumte Mirsanga/ Byadgi Mirchi : 8-10
Tamarind/ Chinchama/ Imly : one small marble sized
** Clean, remove fins, scales if any, slice head portion of Lady fish/ Noglekana and wash gently using plenty of fresh water. Apply a little bit of salt all over the fish and keep it aside ready. If large in size you can cut them into desired sized pieces and if smaller in size you can retain them whole, usually they are preferred whole.
** Wash, wipe dry hogplums/ ambado/ amkekai. Slice off the stem side edge and discard it. Then slice both the sides or smash with a weight and keep them altogether ready to be added to the curry while cooking.
** Wash, wipe dry and cut green chilly/ tarni mirsanga lengthwise and keep it aside ready. Wash, peel off outer skin and finely chop the ginger/ alle’ and keep it aside ready. Peel off the outer skin of onion/ piyavu and finely chop it and keep it also ready aside. All these ingredients will be added to curry while cooking.
** Note : In Mumbai we get it cleaned, so half the work is done, do query about the same. I must mention here that in Mangaluru, my home town and elsewhere, some people peel of the outer skin of lady fish just like how it is done with mori/ shark and use in preparation of curries. However, in Mumbai this method is not followed and the skin vendors retain the skin while selling. I sometimes remove the skin if the fish is in large size and at times retain it if they are smaller in size, don't worry it is edible.
** For Masala to be ground : Roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, pepper seeds and Kashmiri red chillies one by one in a thick bottomed kadai. (Do not roast them all together). Add the roasted items in a mixer grinder along freshly grated coconut, peeled and chopped garlic and tamarind. Grind all together to a thick fine paste adding required amount of water only (do not add excess water).
** Note : Here I have added only a small marble sized piece of tamarind while grinding the masala because I have also added fresh ambado (amketai/ hogplum) to the curry. In case you are not using ambado then do increase the quantity of tamarind while grinding or you may also use any other sour veggie mentioned below.
** Note : For the curry you can use any one of the tart tasting fruit/ veggies mentioned like, bimbul (tree sorrel fruit), ambado (Hog Plum), karmbala (carmbola/ starfruit), ambuli (raw mango), harvo tomato (raw- green tomato), dried kokum, kudampuli etc. as is available. In case you do not have access to any one of them or they are not available or again, if you do not want to use them then for any reason, do not worry, you can add in a small marble sized piece of tamarind (chinchama/ Imly) while grinding the masala which is what is followed in GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine.
** Add ground masala into a wide mouthed stainless steel vessel. Add enough water to bring to required semi thick gravy consistency. Add prepared and kept onion, ginger, green chillies, hogplums, salt to taste, curry leaves and bring to a rolling boil on medium heat. When you see bubbles appearing on surface lower the heat to minimum and let simmer for 10-12 minutes ie until the raw smell of the masala disappears.
** Check the gravy consistency and add more water only if required. Now gently add the cleaned and kept fish (Kane/ Noglekana/ Lady Fish) one by one spreading them out in an even layer and let cook for 5-7 minutes.
** Note : In between cooking of the fish curry, hold the rim of the vessel covered with a cloth or with the help of tongs tightly and gently rotate the vessel so that the curry gets mixed well. Avoid mixing with spatula lest the fish breaks. Fish curry always needs to be handled with care to retain the pieces well, so be careful.
** Fish does not take time to be perfectly cooked, say maximum 7- 8 minutes, so avoid over cooking them as they tend to then turn chewy. When done add coconut oil (Narlel tela) mix well, remove from heat, cover with a tight lid and let rest for 10-15 minutes for flavors to be infused well and it is ready. In case you find the curry too thick while serving you can add some hot water, mix well and it’s done.
** “Kane- Amtekai Gassi (Lady Fish- Hogplum Curry)” is done and ready to be served. Fish curry always tastes best served with rice along with side dish of stir fry veggies. In southern parts of India, especially Mangaluru it is often served with ukde sheetHa (red boiled rice) and it tastes wonderful. Try it, if you are a fish lover like us, I am sure your family will love this simple easy to prepare curry.
** Note: You can increase/ decrease the number of chillies as per your requirement depending upon individual taste. This is a medium spicy curry with the awesome aroma of onions the blend in well with the fish. Topping with coconut oil gives out the best aroma to the curry, so preferably use the same, however if for any reason you want to avoid coconut oil then you may use any edible oil, but I must confess I have no knowledge of the taste it then imparts to the curry. If new to coconut oil addition, then i suggest you do give it a try, it tastes wonderful- aromatic and is healthy too.
** Note : The colour of the gravy depends upon the dry red chillies used. Kashmiri red chillies give deep red colour while other dry chillies especially from southern parts of India give a lighter texture. However, the taste of the curry does not differ much, so rest assured and use any of your family preference.
** Sharing a common link to all “Fish” curry recipes in the Blog below, you may browse through in leisure and try any that you would love to taste, they all are simple to prepare and taste awesome, specially served with rice …
** There are plenty of both "Veg/ Non-Veg" recipes included in the Blog. Again, most of the fish curries included in Blog are from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine while I have also included many others. Do browse through using search option or the label section for the same. Home cooked food bonds family relations, so make it a point to always serve home cooked dishes to your family and friends.
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