Kerala has a rich cultural heritage, including art forms, martial arts, and festivals. One of the most popular festivals in Kerala is Onam, the 10 day harvest festival that occurs in the fall. During this festival, it is customary to serve a large feast, the Onam Sadhya, of 20+ vegetarian meals. The meals are served to each person on a large banana leaf. Preparation for the festival takes days, as enough food is needed to serve the whole community. One dish that is often served during Onam Sadhya is ulli theeyal, a vegetarian dish featuring shallots as the main ingredient. "Ulli" refers to onions, and "theeyal" means burnt, referring to the toasted coconut in the first step. When it is not being served at Onam Sadhya, ulli theeyal is a simple dish often served with rice.

Fish curry is a dish that features one of the region's most abundant resources, fish caught from the coast. It is prepared simply, using many common Keralan flavors, and is eaten year round. The fish curry recipe was delicious, it smelled amazing while cooking and the taste measured up. We did not modify the recipe much, besides adding a squeeze of lemon juice for acidity. Both of us really enjoyed this fish curry, to the point that hours after trying it we kept repeating to each other, “this is soooooo good”.

Instructions:

1. Heat 1-2 tbsp coconut oil in a pan. Add in coriander seeds, cumin seeds (optional), dried red chillies, methi, pepper (optional), and fresh shredded coconut. Fry these ingredients on a medium flame, sauté constantly until the coconut turns golden. Grind the masala to a fine paste without the addition of water.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add in mustard seeds and methi (optional), allow it to crackle. Add in curry leaves and chopped shallots, sauté on medium heat until shallots are tender and golden brown. (10 minutes approximately)

3. After the onions are well roasted in the oil; add in tamarind water, asafoetida, turmeric powder, salt and the roasted coconut paste. Stir well and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.

4. After 10 minutes, oil will separate and float to the top. Add in coconut milk (optional) and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.

5. Turn off heat and transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy!

Serving Size: 4.

Instructions:

1. Heat coconut oil in pan and allow mustard seeds and curry leaves to fry until the seeds pop

2. Add shallot, ginger, garlic, and green chili and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes

3. While this cooks, cut fish into chunks

4. Mix turmeric and chili powder with a splash of water, and add to the pan. Fry for 1 minute then add fish. Season with salt.

5. Add canned coconut milk and tomatoes. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and sauce has reduced.

6. Garnish with cilantro, then serve with rice.

Serving Size: 4.