Karuvadu Kuzhambu (Dried Fish)கருவாடு குழம்பு

Name: Karuvadu Kuzhambu (Dried Fish)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chettinad
Ingredients: 150 g dried salty fish (karuvadu, seer fish or catla variety); 18-20 small shallots (chinna vengayam), peeled; 3 medium tomatoes, chopped; golf-ball size piece tamarind (puli), soaked in 1 cup warm water; 2 tsp red chili powder; 2 tsp coriander powder (dhaniya); 1/2 tsp turmeric (manjal); 1 tsp black pepper (milagu), coarsely crushed; 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeeragam); 8 cloves garlic (poondu), crushed; 3 sprigs curry leaves; 1 tsp mustard seeds (kadugu); 3 tbsp sesame oil / gingelly oil (nalla ennai); to taste - add carefully, dried fish is already salty salt

⏱ Prep 30m🍳 Cook 40m🍽 Serves 4🌿 Non-veg

Video: Madras Samayal (YouTube)

Karuvadu Kuzhambu is the bold, pungent dried-fish curry of Tamil Nadu, especially beloved in the coastal districts from Rameswaram to Nagapattinam. Dried and salted fish (karuvadu) slow-cooked in a thick tamarind-tomato base with shallots and gingelly oil produces an intensely savoury, deeply aromatic gravy that is far more than the sum of its parts. It keeps well for several days and improves overnight, making it a staple of lunch boxes and long train journeys across the state.

📍 Make it in Plano

This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.

Finding Desi spots near Plano…

Ingredients

▪dried salty fish (karuvadu, seer fish or catla variety)150 g
▪small shallots (chinna vengayam), peeled18-20
▪tomatoes, chopped3 medium
▪tamarind (puli), soaked in 1 cup warm watergolf-ball size piece
▪red chili powder2 tsp
▪coriander powder (dhaniya)2 tsp
▪turmeric (manjal)1/2 tsp
▪black pepper (milagu), coarsely crushed1 tsp
▪cumin seeds (jeeragam)1 tsp
▪garlic (poondu), crushed8 cloves
▪curry leaves3 sprigs
▪mustard seeds (kadugu)1 tsp
▪sesame oil / gingelly oil (nalla ennai)3 tbsp
▪saltto taste - add carefully, dried fish is already salty

🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions

Karuvadu is sold frozen or vacuum-packed (labeled 'dried seer fish' or 'salted fish') at Indian and Sri Lankan grocery stores in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. Look in the Tamil or Sri Lankan section of the freezer aisle.
Salt cod (bacalhau, from Portuguese or Latin American grocery stores) is a reasonable substitute; soak for 4-6 hours with two or three water changes to bring down the salt before proceeding.
Gingelly oil (sesame oil, cold-pressed) is distinctive in Chettinad and Tamil cooking; a regular toasted sesame oil will overpower the curry. If unavailable, use coconut oil as the nearest substitute.

Method

1Soak dried fish in water 20-30 minutes; rinse 2-3 times under running water to reduce the salt load; cut or break into 2-inch pieces.
2Squeeze the soaked tamarind through a sieve to extract about 1 cup of thick pulp; discard fibers and seeds.
3Heat sesame oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds; when they pop, add curry leaves and crushed garlic; saute 1 minute.
4Add shallots; cook on medium heat, stirring every few minutes, 10-12 minutes until deep golden and caramelized.
5Add tomatoes; cook 7-8 minutes, breaking them down with the back of a spoon until the oil starts to separate.
6Stir in chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric, black pepper, and cumin; cook the masala 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
7Pour tamarind water into the pan; add the soaked fish; bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered on medium-low heat 20-25 minutes until the gravy thickens and the oil rises to the surface.
8Taste and adjust salt carefully given the fish's inherent saltiness. The kuzhambu improves in flavor overnight.

A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.