Tag: coastal Indian food

Lunch & Dinner

Bangda Fish Curry – Spicy & Tangy Coastal Mackerel Curry

Puspa


🌶️ When the Sea Meets the Spice, One Curry at a Time

If you’re from the Konkan coast, you know this well — a plate of rice, a bowl of steaming hot Bangda Curry, and maybe a squeeze of lemon is all you need to feel at home.

Bangda (mackerel) is firm, flavorful, and holds its own in bold curries.
And when it’s simmered with roasted coconut, red chilies, and tamarind or kokum? It becomes magic in a bowl.


🛒 What You’ll Need (Serves 3–4):

4–5 bangda (mackerel), cleaned and slit

1 cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen)

4–5 dry red chilies

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp hing

3–4 kokum petals (or tamarind pulp)

1 medium onion, chopped

Salt to taste

2 tbsp coconut oil or regular oil




🍛 How to Make It – Fiery, Tangy & Full of Coastal Character

1. Make the Curry Masala

Dry roast coconut, red chilies, coriander, and cumin until aromatic. Cool and grind to a fine paste with water.

2. Start the Curry Base

Heat oil in a pot. Add onion, sauté till soft. Add the coconut masala, turmeric, hing, and salt. Fry the paste for 3–4 mins until it releases oil.

3. Add Kokum & Simmer

Add kokum (or tamarind pulp) and 1½ cups water to adjust gravy consistency. Let it boil.

4. Add the Fish

Gently add the bangda into the curry. Cover and simmer on low for 8–10 minutes until fish is cooked and gravy thickens.

5. Rest & Serve

Let the curry sit for 10 mins before serving. Serve hot with steamed rice or ghavan (rice pancakes).



❤️ Why Bangda Curry Is a Coastal Must-Have

High in omega-3 and flavor

Tangy, bold, and pairs perfectly with rice

No complex steps, but deeply satisfying

Because mackerel and masala are meant to be together!

Snacks

Bagda Fry – Crispy King Prawns with Coastal Spices

Puspa


🍤 When Big Prawns Meet Bold Masalas & a Hot Tawa

Bagda (tiger prawns) don’t need much.
Just a handful of spices, a splash of mustard oil, and a sizzling tawa to become the hero of your meal.

Whether you’re from Odisha, Bengal, or any coastal region — Bagda Fry is that quick, bold, satisfying dish that disappears as soon as it’s served.


🛒 What You’ll Need (Serves 2–3):

6–8 large bagda chingudi (king prawns), cleaned and deveined

1 tbsp mustard oil (for marinade)

2 tbsp mustard oil (for frying)

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

Optional: pinch of garam masala or fish masala




🔥 How to Make It – Spicy, Juicy & Tawa-Crisp

1. Marinate the Prawns

In a bowl, mix turmeric, chili powder, ginger-garlic paste, salt, mustard oil, and lemon juice.
Coat the prawns well and let them marinate for at least 20 minutes.

2. Fry Until Golden

Heat oil in a pan or tawa until hot.
Place prawns in a single layer and fry for 2–3 mins per side until golden and cooked through. Don’t overcook!

3. Serve Hot

With onion slices, lemon wedges, and a sprinkle of chaat masala if desired. Great as a starter or with dal-rice.



❤️ Why Bagda Fry Is a Coastal Classic

Ready in minutes, full of bold flavor

Perfect balance of spice and crunch

Can be served as a snack, side, or even in wraps

Because big prawns + mustard oil = magic!

Lunch & Dinner

How to Make Odisha’s Soulful Poi Chingri Curry

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🌿 A Taste of Odisha’s Rivers, Soil & Simplicity

This isn’t a restaurant-style curry.
It’s something made in clay pots.
Where prawns are small, but the flavors are big.
Where poi saag (Malabar spinach) grows in the backyard, and prawns come fresh from the local haat.

Poi Chingri Curry is soft, earthy, and soulful — made with just a few ingredients, yet deeply satisfying with hot rice.

Bengali-style Malabar spinach and prawns curry with mustard and garlic, served hot with rice.


🛒 What You’ll Need (Serves 2–3):

200g small prawns (chingri), cleaned

2–3 cups Malabar spinach (poi saag), chopped (tender stalks + leaves)

1 small potato, cubed (optional but traditional)

1 small onion, finely chopped

1–2 green chilies

1 tbsp mustard paste (or use mustard seeds + garlic ground fresh)

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp red chili powder

Salt to taste

2 tbsp mustard oil



🍤 How to Make It – Simple, Spicy & Rooted in Soil

1. Prep the Prawns

Marinate prawns with salt and turmeric. Fry in mustard oil for 1–2 minutes until light golden. Set aside.

2. Build the Curry

In the same oil, add onions and green chilies. Sauté until light golden.
Add potato cubes, turmeric, chili powder. Mix well.

3. Add the Saag

Add chopped poi saag. Stir until it begins to wilt. Cover and cook for 5–7 mins until soft.

4. Add Mustard Paste & Prawns

Add the mustard paste + a little water to make curry consistency. Add the fried prawns.
Simmer for 5 mins until everything is cooked and flavors come together.

5. Serve Fresh & Hot

With steamed rice and a squeeze of lemon, maybe a slice of onion on the side.



❤️ Why Poi Chingri Curry Tastes Like Home

Traditional coastal Odia flavor

Malabar spinach + prawns = earthy + umami

Simple masalas, bold flavor

Because not all delicacies come from restaurants — some come from maa’s haata kuansa bhanda

Lunch & Dinner

Surmai Curry – Spicy, Tangy Kingfish Comfort from the Konkan Coast

Puspa

🌊 Intro / Story Section:

If comfort had a coastal accent, it would taste like Surmai Curry.

I still remember the first time I had it — a small home-style eatery in coastal Maharashtra. One spoonful, and I was hooked. The gravy was fiery, coconutty, sour in the best way, and the fish? So soft it practically melted.

Back home, I called my aunt who grew up near Ratnagiri and asked, “How do I make it taste like that?”
She laughed and said, “Just don’t rush. Let the coconut roast. Let the masala talk.”

So here’s my version — slow-cooked, flavorful, and always served with a side of rice (and a little pride).

🍛 Surmai Curry Recipe

Serves: 3–4
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins

🐟 Ingredients:

4–5 slices Surmai (Kingfish), cleaned

1 tbsp oil (preferably coconut oil)

½ tsp mustard seeds

A pinch of fenugreek seeds (methi)

1 sprig curry leaves

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

½ tsp turmeric powder

1½ tsp red chili powder (adjust to taste)

1 tsp coriander powder

1½ tbsp tamarind pulp

Salt to taste

1½ cups thin coconut milk

½ cup thick coconut milk

Fresh coriander to garnish (optional)

👩‍🍳 Instructions:

1. Marinate Fish:
Rub fish pieces with turmeric and a pinch of salt. Set aside for 15 mins.

2. Prepare Masala Base:
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, methi, curry leaves.
Sauté onions till soft. Add ginger-garlic paste, cook till fragrant.
Add tomatoes and all dry spices. Cook till masala thickens.

3. Build the Gravy:
Add tamarind pulp and thin coconut milk. Bring to a simmer.

4. Add Fish & Cook:
Gently place fish slices into the gravy. Cover and cook on low for 7–10 mins, until fish is done.

5. Finish with Richness:
Add thick coconut milk, stir gently. Simmer 2 more mins. Don’t boil.

6. Serve Hot:
With steamed rice, onion slices, and love.

💡 Tips:

Don’t stir too much after adding fish — it can break.

Adjust tamarind based on sourness of your coconut milk.

Use fresh coconut milk for best results (but packet is fine too!)

Surmai = kingfish, but you can sub with pomfret or bangda.