Mangalorean Mackerel Fish Curry (Bangude Ghassi)

This Mackerel fish curry is made with fresh Mackerel fish cooked in a tangy and spicy coconut-based gravy. You can make this easy Indian fish curry with coconut in just 30 minutes. It is aromatic, flavorful, and a comforting dish for lunch or dinner.  Serve it with steamed rice or Jeera rice.

About This Mackerel Curry Recipe

In this recipe post, I am sharing how to make Mackerel fish curry. This is an Indian fish curry recipe from Mangalorean cuisine. Mangalore (officially called Mangaluru) is a major port city in the Indian state of Karnataka.

Mangalorean style Mackerel fish curry is locally called "Bangude Ghassi". The word “Bangude” is the local name for Mackerel fish and “Ghassi” means curry. Living by the coast, fish curry and rice are like my staple (or with bread/pav, if you prefer!). We get it all year round, except for those few months during the rainy season.

This spicy and tangy bangda fish curry is made with aromatic spices, onion, ginger, garlic, tamarind, and coconut. This is a basic fish curry recipe that can be used to make any other fish curry. Similar Mackerel fish recipes that you might like are Mangalroean Fish Rava Fry, Goan Fish Curry, and Pan-Fried Mackerel.

What you will need to make this Mackerel fish curry recipe?

Ingredients for Mackerel Curry

1. Mackerels (Bangda) - I have used fresh Mackerels for this recipe. Clean and rinse it well with water. Cut it into 2-3 pieces. You can use any fish for making this fish curry recipe like Pomfret, Kingfish (Surmai), or Tilapia. I have given a few tips for choosing fresh Mackerel in the FAQ section.
2. Bayadgi Red Chilies - It gives a bright red color to the mackerel curry recipe and is less spicy. You can substitute it with Kashmiri red chilies. Or use any red chili but then adjust the quantity as per the spiciness of the chilies you are using.
3. Carom seeds and mustard seeds - They give a very nice aroma to the fish curry. If not available you can skip them.
4. Tamarind - It gives a tangy touch to the curry. Soak lemon-sized tamarind in hot water for 10-15 minutes.  Remove the seeds and use it. You can substitute it with lemon juice, kokum, or vinegar.
5. Green chilies - Make the fish curry spicy. If you prefer less spicy skip adding it.
6. Coconut - Mackerel curry tastes best when made with freshly grated coconut. Instead of freshly grated coconut, you can also add coconut milk. But do not use desiccated coconut for this recipe.
7. Oil - I didn't use any oil for making this fish curry. But my mom and grandmom always add a teaspoon of coconut oil while roasting the whole spices and dried red chilies. Coconut oil is the best oil for making this fish curry. However, you can use any cooking oil like vegetable oil.

For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.

How to make Mackerel Fish Curry

For the masala

1. Heat a pan over low-medium heat.
2. Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and carom seeds until aromatic.
3. Remove and keep it aside on a plate.
4. In the same pan, roast red chilies until crisp. Remove and keep it aside on the same plate. Let all the roasted ingredients cool down to room temperature.
5. Transfer them to a mixer/grinder jar.
6. Add coconut, onion, garlic, ginger, tamarind, and turmeric powder.
7. Add a little water and grind it to a fine paste. Our fish curry masala is ready.

For making the Mackerel fish curry

1. Add the prepared paste to a heavy bottom pan/wok.
2. Add water to adjust the consistency of the gravy.
3. Heat the fish curry masala at medium heat.   
4. Add green chilies and salt.
5. Stir and let the curry come to a rolling boil.
6. Add the mackerel fish and let it cook for 5 minutes. Once you add Mackerel do not use any steel ladle/spatula to stir it. Cooked mackerels are soft and may break in the curry. Use a soft silicon spatula or better to rotate the pot/kadai in a circular motion to stir it.
7. Mackerel curry is ready to serve.

Expert Tips

• Follow the measurements of the ingredients properly. Anything in excess can spoil the entire dish.
• You can skip the addition of carom seeds. Some people do not like them in the fish curry.
• If you do not have tamarind then substitute with lemon or vinegar. Or, if you have Kokum, add the kokum to the fish curry while adding green chilies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestion

• You can serve this curry with steamed rice or Jeera rice.
• Or pair it with idiyappam, appams, and neer dosas.

More Mangalorean recipes that you might like

• Chicken Ghee Roast
• Fish Masala Fry
• Prawns Ghee Roast
• Chicken Sukka (Kori Ajadina)

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4.67 from 3 votes

Mangalorean Mackerel Fish Curry (Bangude Ghassi)

This Mackerel fish curry is made with fresh Mackerel fish cooked in a tangy and spicy coconut-based gravy. You can make this easy Indian fish curry with coconut in just 30 minutes. It is aromatic, flavorful, and a comforting dish for lunch or dinner.  Serve it with steamed rice or Jeera rice.

Course Main

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 215kcal

Author Preeti

Equipment

• Deep bottom pan/Wok

Ingredients

For the masala

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon or a pinch of mustard seeds (skip if not available)
• ⅛ tsp or a pinch of fenugreek seeds
• ⅛ teaspoon carom seeds (skip if not available)
• 10 dried bayadagi red chilies (or Kashmiri red chilies)
• ½ coconut freshly grated, or use coconut milk
• 1 small onion
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• a small piece of ginger
• a small ball of tamarind. (soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and seeds removed)
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

For the curry

• 500 gram Mackerel fish (Bangda fish), cut into 2-3 pieces
• 2 green chilies slit
• Salt to taste

Instructions

For the masala

• Heat a pan over low-medium heat.
• Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and carom seeds until aromatic. Remove and keep it aside on a plate.
• In the same pan, dry roast red chilies until crisp. Remove and keep it aside on the same plate. Let all the roasted ingredients cool down to room temperature.
• Transfer them to a mixer/grinder jar. Add coconut, onion, garlic, ginger, tamarind, and turmeric powder.
• Add little water and grind it to a fine paste.

For making the Mackerel fish curry

• Transfer the prepared paste to a heavy bottom pan/wok. Add water to adjust the consistency of the gravy.
• Heat it at medium heat. Add green chilies and salt. Stir and let the curry come to a boil.
• Add the mackerel fish and let it cook for 5 minutes. Once you add Mackerels do not use any steel ladle/spatula to stir it. Cooked mackerels are soft and may break in the curry. Use a soft silicon spatula or better to rotate the pot/kadai in a circular motion to stir it.
• Mackerel curry is ready to serve.

Video

Notes

• Follow the measurements of the ingredients properly. Anything in excess can spoil the entire dish.
• You can skip the addition of carom seeds. Some people do not like it in the fish curries.
• If you do not have tamarind then substitute with lemon or vinegar. Or, if you have Kokum, add the kokum to the fish curry while adding green chilies.