MEEN KULAMBU

Meen kulambu or fish kulambu is a traditional and the most popular dish of south India. It is a most common dish for people living in the coastal regions of Tamilnadu and Kerala, as fishing is their main occupation.

Meen kulambu has a liquid consistency, which can be consumed by mixing it with rice. It can also be used as a side dish for idly, dosa, pongal, upma, idiyappam and so many other dishes. It tastes really good when reheated. It can be reheated several times. Every time it’s been reheated, the taste enhances. It won’t get spoiled easily.

It can be made to a thick, paste like consistency by boiling it for 10-15 minutes .This thickened kulambu is called as sunda kulambu/oora kulambu, which is the best combination for pazhaya soru(fermented rice).

MY MEMORIES WITH MEEN KULAMBU

Hot steamed rice with spicy meen kulambu, paired with meen varuval(fish fry) is our go-to lunch for every sunday. Going to the fish market, buying the fresh fish that is available, bringing it home, cleaning, cooking and enjoying the meal with family is a what a perfect sunday looks like.

Meen kulambu is not just for lunch, it is also for dinner with dosas. The next day, we reheat it and serve it with hot idlis for breakfast. And the remaining kulambu will be kept in the fridge,saving it for next sunday. The next sunday, we reheat it, until it thickens and turns to a paste like consistency. This thickened kulambu(oora kulambu/sunda kulambu), paired with muttai dosai(egg dosa) or uthappam is our sunday’s breakfast.

ABOUT THE RECIPE

There are so many ways to make meen kulambu. This recipe is the most simplest way.It doesn’t require any chopping, grinding or frying. This is like a one pot recipe,which even people who are new to cooking can also make. It hardly takes just about 20 minutes to make.

Any kind of fish can be used for this recipe. Each fish has their own taste, and the taste of the meen kulambu depends on the fish that we use.

INGREDIENTS FOR MEEN KULAMBU

• Fish Any kind of fish can be used.I have used 1 kg of black pomfret.It has to be washed clean with rock salt before cooking.

• THALIPPU VADAGAM – 1 tbsp Vadagam is a sun dried spice ball, used for tampering.It has shallots, garlic, turmeric ,mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, toor dhal, urid dhal and bengal gram.It gives the flavour to the meen kulambu.

• KULAMBU POWDER – 4 tbsp Kulambu powder is a mixture of spices like red chilly, coriander seeds, lentils and some more spices.

• Tamarind puree -1 large lemon size A large lemon sized tamarind is soaked in water for 30 minute ,and squeezed to extract the puree from it.
• Rock salt – 3 tsp Traditionally we use rock salt.Table salt can also be used instead of rock salt.

• Green chilly – 2 nos. The green chillies give a unique spicy flavour.
• Tomato -2 nos. It gives a tangy flavour to the kulambu.I usually cut it into halves. The tomatoes cooked with meen kulambu has a unique taste, and will be really good to eat.
• Curry leaf – 10 nos. Every indian recipe is incomplete without the curry leaves.

HOW TO MAKE MEEN KULAMBU

1. Before starting to cook,squeeze the tamarind and extract the puree from it.

2. Add the kulambu powder and salt to the tamarind puree. Mix everything without any lumps.

3. Place a pot on the stove,and let it heat up.

4. When the pot is hot enough,add a tablespoon of oil.

5. Then add the vadagam to it. Vadagam starts to fry and the mustard seeds in the vadagam start to splatter.

6. At this stage, add the tamarind puree mixture to the pot.

7. Add the cleaned fish to it.

8. Add tomato, green chilly and curry leaves to it.

9. Mix everything with a ladle, and cover the pot with the lid.

10. After 5 minutes, turn the flame to low.Let it cook on low for 15 minutes. *Do not open the lid in the middle.Let it cook covered for the whole 20 minutes,so that you don’t get the raw smell of kulambu powder.

11. After 20 minutes, check the consistency of the kulambu and turn off the stove.

Yummy and delicious meen kulambu is ready. Serve it with hot rice and enjoy.

VARIATIONS

• You can adjust the spiciness according to your taste. If you like it spicy, add a teaspoon of extra kulambu powder. If you like it less spicy, reduce a teaspoon of kulambu powder.
• Adding tomato is optional. You can also chop the tomatoes into your desired shape.
• Adding green chilly is also optional.If you don’t like the spiciness of green chilly, you can avoid it.
• Tamarind also can be used according to your taste.You can reduce the amount of tamarind, if you want it to be less sour.

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MEEN KULAMBU

Recipe by foodpassion1513Course: Kulambu, NON VEG KULAMBU

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

100

kcal

Meen kulambu or fish kulambu is a traditional and the most popular dish of south India. It is a most common dish for people living in the coastal regions of Tamilnadu and Kerala, as fishing is their main occupation.
Meen kulambu has a liquid consistency, which can be consumed by mixing it with rice. It can also be used as a side dish for idly, dosa, pongal, upma, idiyappam and so many other dishes. It tastes really good when reheated. It can be reheated several times. Every time it’s been reheated, the taste of it enhances. It won’t get spoiled easily.

Ingredients

• INGREDIENTS FOR MEEN KULAMBU

• FISH – 1 KG

• Thalippu vadagam – 1 tbsp

• Kulambu powder – 4 tbsp

• Tamarind puree -1 large lemon size

• Rock salt – 3 tsp

• Green chilly – 2 nos.

• Tomato -2 nos.

• Curry leaf – 10 nos.

Directions

• HOW TO MAKE MEEN KULAMBU
• Before starting to cook,squeeze the tamarind and extract the puree from it.
• Add the kulambu powder and salt to the tamarind puree. Mix everything without any lumps.
• Place a pot on the stove,and let it heat up.
• When the pot is hot enough,add a tablespoon of oil.
• Then add the vadagam to it. Vadagam starts to fry and the mustard seeds in the vadagam start to splatter.
• At this stage, add the tamarind puree mixture to the pot.
• Add the cleaned fish to it.
• Add tomato, green chilly and curry leaves to it.
• Mix everything with a ladle, and cover the pot with the lid.
• 10. After 5 minutes, turn the flame to low.Let it cook on low for 15 minutes. *Do not open the lid in the middle.Let it cook covered for the whole 20 minutes,so that you don’t get the raw smell of kulambu powder.
• 11. After 20 minutes, check the consistency of the kulambu and turn off the stove.
• Yummy and delicious meen kulambu is ready. Serve it with hot rice and enjoy.

Notes

• VARIATIONS
  You can adjust the spiciness according to your taste. If you like it spicy, add a teaspoon of extra kulambu powder. If you like it less spicy, reduce a teaspoon of kulambu powder.
  Adding tomato is optional. You can also chop the tomatoes into your desired shape.
  Adding green chilly is also optional.If you don’t like the spiciness of green chilly, you can avoid it.
  Tamarind also can be used according to your taste.You can reduce the amount of tamarind, if you want it to be less sour.