Fish Curry Rice Breakfast

Name: Fish Curry Rice Breakfast
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Kerala)
Ingredients: 1.5 cups (285 g) Kerala matta rice (red parboiled rice); 3 cups (720 ml) water; 1 tsp (5 g) salt; 400 g firm fish (kingfish/surmai or mackerel), cut into 4 cm pieces; 2 tbsp (30 ml) coconut oil; 1 tsp (3 g) mustard seeds; 10 shallots (80 g), thinly sliced; 1 sprig curry leaves; 1 tsp (3 g) ginger, grated; 4 garlic cloves (12 g), sliced; 1.5 tsp (4.5 g) red chilli powder (Kashmiri for colour + regular for heat, 1:1); 1/2 tsp (1.5 g) turmeric powder; 1.5 tsp (4.5 g) coriander powder; 2 tbsp (30 ml) tamarind water (from 1 tsp tamarind soaked in 2 tbsp warm water); 1 cup (240 ml) water; Salt to taste (1 tsp / 5 g); Clay pot cooking gives Kerala fish curry its authentic earthy character — use if available.; Do not overcook the fish — 6–8 minutes total in the curry is sufficient for 4 cm pieces.; Matta rice takes longer to cook than white rice — do not rush or grains remain hard.

🍗 Non-veg🌾 Gluten-free📊 Medium

A full rice breakfast featuring boiled red rice (matta rice) served with fish curry (meen kuzhambu), this is the tradition of Kerala's Latin Catholic coastal communities. While unusual as a breakfast concept in most cuisines, eating rice with fish curry in the morning is perfectly normal and indeed preferred among fishing communities in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Alappuzha.

⏱️15 minPrep

🔥35 minCook

🕒50 minTotal

🍽️4Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Fish Curry Rice Breakfast

Rinse matta rice 3 times.
Combine with 3 cups water and salt.
Bring to boil over high heat.
Reduce to low, cover, cook 20–22 minutes until rice is fully cooked and water absorbed.
Rest 5 minutes covered.
Heat coconut oil in a clay pot or heavy pan over medium-high heat.
Add mustard seeds — when they pop (30 sec), add curry leaves.
Add shallots, cook 3–4 minutes until softened.
Add ginger and garlic, cook 1 minute.
Add all dry spices, cook 1 minute stirring.
Add tamarind water, 1 cup water, and salt.
Bring to a boil.
Add fish pieces.
Cook over medium heat 6–8 minutes until fish is opaque and cooked through and gravy has thickened slightly.
Do not stir vigorously — fish breaks easily.
The gravy should be dark red and fragrant.
Serve a mound of matta rice with fish curry ladled alongside or over it.

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 420 kcal | 28 g | 48 g | 12 g | 3 g | Eating rice with fish curry for breakfast is a proud tradition of Kerala's coastal fishing communities, particularly in the Latin Catholic belt from Thiruvananthapuram to Alappuzha. Fishermen returning from the sea at dawn eat this as their first meal. Matta rice — red, parboiled, and nutritionally superior to white rice — is the traditional variety of Kerala and was declared a Geographical Indication product in 2007. ---

Track the macros of Fish Curry Rice Breakfast and 100s of Indian dishes with Nutri Macro India.