Paleo Fish Soup

Ingredients

• 250 g fish (any kind) or fish heads, cleaned (மீன் / மீன் மண்டை)
• 1 large onion, chopped (பெரிய வெங்காயம்)
• 1 tomato, chopped (தக்காளி)
• 2 green chillies (பச்சை மிளகாய்)
• 2 tbsp pepper powder (மிளகு தூள்)
• 1 tbsp cumin powder (சீரக தூள்)
• 1 tbsp coriander powder (மல்லி தூள்)
• half a tbsp turmeric powder (மஞ்சள் தூள்)
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (இஞ்சி பூண்டு விழுது)
• as needed salt, quarter tbsp mustard seeds, a few curry leaves (உப்பு, கடுகு, கறிவேப்பிலை)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (தேங்காய் எண்ணெய்)
• 1 tbsp ghee (நெய்)
• 10 cloves garlic, crushed (பூண்டு)
• 10 shallots, halved (சின்ன வெங்காயம்)
• as needed water (தண்ணீர்)

Method

1. Temper mustard and curry leaves in coconut oil, then fry the onion, ginger-garlic paste and tomato.
2. Add the fish or fish heads and stir for a minute.
3. Pour in water with coriander powder, turmeric and salt and simmer until the fish is cooked.
4. Stir in pepper and cumin powders and turn off the heat.
5. In ghee, fry the green chillies, halved shallots and crushed garlic and pour this over the soup.

Adapted from பேலியோ ஆரோக்கிய சமையல் (Paleo Arokkiya Samaiyal) by Rtn Kannan Azhagirisamy, page 39. Method rewritten in our own words; ingredient quantities follow the book, with gram weights estimated for the nutrition figures. The book thanks the Arokkiya Unavugal (Healthy Foods) Facebook group and tamilpaleorecipes.com.