Chettinad style Fish curry

Try this fish curry with idiappams or plain rice, the taste is different than the fish curry's we normally eat. This recipe is an inspiration from Hotel Woodlands in Muscat where we used to visit often to have their Chettinad style fish curry with Appams, therefore the reconstruction of the recipe purely on my palate memory.

Ingredients

1. 5-6 fish fillets ( surmai or pomfret)
2. 1 tsp salt & 1 tsp turmeric powder for the fish fillet
3. 2 tsp oil
4. 2 tsp cumin seeds
5. 5-6 peppercorns
6. 3 cloves
7. 1/2" small piece of cinnamon stick
8. 2 cardamom
9. 2 dry red chili
10. 1 stick of curry leaves
11. 2 tsp freshly grated coconut
12. 10 cloves of garlic
13. 1" ginger
14. 2 medium size onions ( chopped)
15. 8-10 shallots (madras onions or pearl onions)
16. 1 medium size tomato ( chopped)
17. 4 tsp tamarind paste ( soak tamarind in water to make paste)
18. Salt as per taste
19. Water as required
20. Freshly chopped coriander to garnish

Method

1. Clean the fish fillets n apply salt & turmeric powder on it. Keep aside.
2. In a shallow bottom pot add oil & fry onions until they turn brownish, keep aside to grind later. Add the shallots & fry for 2 minutes then add tomatoes. switch off the gas & keep the cover the pot with a lid.
3. In a grinder make a fine powder of cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom & red chilli. Keep aside for later use.
4. add the fried onions, ginger, garlic,grated  coconut & tamarind to the make a smooth paste. 
5. Add the dry masala powder & paste to the tomato-onion, add water as required to make gravy. When the gravy comes to a boil add the fish, add curry leaves. Cover the pot n let the fish cook properly. garnish with freshly chopped coriander.
6. Don't make the gravy too thick ot watery, it should go well with boiled rice or iddiappams.