Traditional Andhra Chepa Pulusu




Ingredients


• 5-6 fish fillets
• 2-3 medium size onions
• 2 slit green chillis
• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 3 tsp red chilli pwd
• 1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
• 1 big lemon-sized tamarind pulp
(soak tamarind in sufficient warm water and extrac thick juice)
• 10 curry leaves
• 3 tbsp choppedfresh corianderleaves
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup oil

For masala powder: 4 cloves,4 cardamom,1 inch cinnamon, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander seeds.(Dry roast all spices)


Method


First add chili pwd ,turmeric pwd and salt to the fish fillets. Now marinate about 10 -15 minutes. In that time u make onion paste and masala powder. Heat oil in a wide vessel add curry leaves and add onion paste and fry on medium flame until u can get a nice aroma. Then add ginger garlic paste and fry for 3-4 minutes.Now add fish pieces and cover the vessel. Cook them for 2-3 minutes,then add tamarind juice and masala powder. In a low flame cook them for 10 minutes. Let the sauce to be thick and the oil separates half the stove garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

 Do not stir too much lest the fish pieces break and be gentle while stirring the fish pieces. Serve it after a 3-4 hours of cooking so that the fish pieces absorb the flavour of the tamarind sauce and spices. In Andhra, most of the people like fish head in this recepie. This is one of my amma’s special dish. This particular dish tastes best the next day. Because the fish pieces are soaked in the tamarindsauce with freshely ground spices.
Served with hot steamed white rice.