Fish Fry (Deep fry method)

A tasty fish fry, goes well with rice in Indian cuisine!!

Serves: 2

Ingredients

2 Mackerel fish (Bangde  in Kannada / Banguda  in Marathi / Ayala fish in Malayalam)

1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar

3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

2 teaspoon red chilli powder

½ teaspoon pepper powder

1/2 teaspoon thick tamarind paste

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

200 ml oil

Method

Wash and clean fish (until water is clear and without dirt). Drain out water completely. Wipe each fish piece carefully with a soft kitchen towel.

In a wide bowl, mix lemon juice and salt together. Marinate this mix evenly on both the sides of the fish. Cover and keep aside for half an hour.

In a small bowl, mix red chilli powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder and thick tamarind paste.  Do not sprinkle water. Paste should be thick in consistency. Apply this paste evenly on both the sides of each fish pieces. Cover and keep aside for one hour.

Heat kadai or frying pan on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and pour 200 ml oil. Heat oil for 2 minutes. Arrange fish and deep  fry till golden brown on both the sides.

Gently remove fried fish from the frying with a flat spatula. Drain on paper towels to absorb extra oil. Serve with rice / side dishes ....Decorate with lemon wedges, onion rings and tomato wedges .. (optional).

Kerala Fish Curry (with coconut paste)

Kerala Fish Curry (with coconut paste)

It’s a delicious main curry in Kerala cuisine and it’s best with rice, fish fry, pappadam and  other side dishes.

Here’s an easy recipe of fish curry.

Serves; 4

Ingredients

For the coconut paste:

8 tablespoon grated coconut

2 teaspoon red chilli powder

One pinch turmeric powder

2 small onion, chopped

¼ cup water

Method

Transfer above ingredients into a  small mixer bowl and make a smooth paste. Keep aside.

 Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

10 – 12 shallots (chuvannulli), thinly slicecd

2 green chillies, slit lengthwise

½ - inch ginger, thinly sliced

6 curry leaves

1 lemon sized tamarind or 4 kudampuli or 6 thin raw mango slices

1 cup water (200 ml)

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

3 Ayala (Mackerel)  fish , cut into 2  (or any other good quality  fish - Nemmen, Aavoli ..)

Coconut paste

Method

Wash  and clean fish.

Soak lemon sized tamarind in ½ cup warm water  for half an hour and strain juice with the help of a good quality sieve. If using kudampuli, soak kudampulis in  ¼ cup water with ½ teaspoon salt for  half an hour. Remove soaked kudampuli and strain water. Use kudampuli and strained water to make curry

Heat oil in a kadai or meen chatty on a medium heat.

Add thinly sliced onion and  fry till golden color.

Add slit green chillies, ginger and curry leaves. Fry for 2 – 4 minutes until crisp.

Add  fish pieces, tamarind juice / soaked kudampuli / 6 thinly sliced raw mango slices , 1 cup water  (up to the level of water) and salt to taste. Cover with a lid and cook on  a medium heat for 10 – 12 minutes until fish almost done / cooked.

At this stage, add coconut paste (Adjust extra ¼ cup water if required. Gravy should not be too thin). Mix well. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for another 10 minutes.

Consume this curry after 2 – 3 hours. Then the fish and gravy will absorb all the flavours. Serve with rice, fish fry …

Fish Pollichathu / Meen Pollichathu (2nd recipe)

Fish Pollichathu  / Meen Pollichathu (2 nd recipe)

Meen Pollichathu is a dish which became popular in the recent past and all restaurants in Kerala worth its name promote this dish. There are different ways of preparing this - some add coconut milk and thick onion paste to this preparation. Also some prepare this after shallow frying the fish. To fully enjoy the dish, it should be prepared and consumed fresh - and directly from the banana leaf wrapping. 

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 st marinade:

2 fish slices (pomfret  (aavoli)/ or any other fish) or 1 whole fish

4 teaspoon lime juice

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon salt

Method

Wash and clean  the fish slices or whole fish until the water is clear (without any dirt). Drain out water completely and gently wipe with a soft kitchen towel. If using whole fish, gently make vertical slits with a sharp knife.

In a serving plate or wide bowl, mix lime juice and salt together. Marinate this mix over fish and keep aside for half an hour.

2 nd marinade:

6 shallots or ¼ piece of onion (white or red onion)

2 small size tomatoes, wash and chopped

2 teaspoon red chilli powder

½ teaspoon pepper powder

12 no Indian garlic cloves or 6 big garlic cloves

½ - inch piece ginger

Method

In a small mixer bowl, make a smooth paste of above ingredients. Do not add water when making paste. It should be thick in consistency.

Other ingredients

 4 teaspoon oil

4 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

2 banana leaves

Cotton thread or vazhanaaru

Method

In a pan, heat oil on a medium heat. Add 2 nd marinade and gently saute on a low heat for 10 minutes until the raw smell goes and water disappears, Keep aside to cool for 5 minutes and gently marinate this paste over fish slices on both the sides. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.

Method

Slightly smoke the leaf over flame, so that it will be flexible to be wrapped. Wrap the fish in banana leaf and tie it with the vazhanaaru / cotton tread. 

Heat 2 teaspoon oil in a wide pan / meen chatty and place the wrapped fish in it. Cover with a tight lid and cook for around 15 minutes, turn it over and cook for another 15 minutes or until done / fragrant. A colour change will also be visible on the banana leaf wrapping indicating that the dish is done. Remove leaf and serve hot with rice and other main dishes like rasam / fish curry.