Kerala Fish Molee – Fish cooked in coconut milk

Posting 2 recipes in a week … that’s happening after a really long time .. Even though the new year resolution was to blog more often, and the year almost coming to an end, could not post as often as I wished… The main reason – I was not happy with the snaps I take . After the cooking and the photoshoot , later when I go through the shots again I feel like uhhh.. not good enough for posting !! Still , hoping to fulfill my new year resolution, if not this year, atleast by the next year !!

Often , friends ask me to post simple easy recipes . Keeping that in mind, here is a very easy yet delicious preparation of fish. Fish molee is a typical Syrian Chrisitan dish . Shallow fried fish pieces are cooked in coconut milk based gravy. The curry is not too spicy. More than the chillies, it is the pepper powder that gives that the dish a distinct flavor. The curry goes well with bread or Kerala palappams.

Another dish almost similar to Fish Molee is the Fish Mappas .  For the Fish Mappas, coriander and chilly powders are also included , which gives the curry a spicier flavour. Will post Fish Mappas  recipe some other time..

RECIPE FOR FISH MOLEE

INGREDIENTS

For Marination

• Pepper powder – 1 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon
• Lemon juice or Vinegar – ½ teaspoon
• Salt

For the gravy

• Kingfish  or any other big fish  – ½ kg
• Cardamom  – 4
• Cloves – 4
• Cinnamon – 1 medium stick
• Onions , sliced as rings  – 3 medium
• Ginger  Garlic Paste – 1 tablespoon
• Green chilli – 3
• Tomatoes , cut into circles – 2
• Thin Coconut milk – 1 1/2 cups ( 1 cup is 240 ml)
• Thick Coconut milk –  1/2 cup
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Pepper powder  – 1 tsp
• Salt
• Curry leaves

METHOD

1. Marinate the fish pieces with pepper powder, turmeric powder, salt & lemon juice for an hour. Shallow fry the marinated fish for  3-4 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter cardamom,cinnamon & cloves.
3. Add the onions and green chillies and sauté well till the onions become translucent.
4. Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
5. Add the turmeric powder and pepper powder and sauté for a minute
6. Add the thin coconut milk  and enough salt . When it starts boiling add the shallow fried fish pieces.
7. Spread  the tomatoes  and the curry leaves on the top of the fish pieces.
8. Cook on a closed lid on mediuim flame till the fish is cooked well.
9. Add the thick coconut milk , heat for a minute and turn off the fire.

Kappayum Meen curryum – Boiled Tapioca and Spicy Red Fish Curry with Coccum

Back after a long blogging break..  Had a great time at my homeland during the two months of summer vacation …an  escape from the scorching heat here to the monsoon bliss in Kerala… Kids enjoyed the most  –  the rain , fun with cousins and grand parents .

There is a small poultry farm now back at home .Not a farm exactly, but there are about a dozen  hens, ducks, a few turkeys and 2 geese.. ..   Kids were busy chasing the ducks and hens, but left the turkeys and geese alone , the reason being fear factor 🙂   The first thing kids would do after waking up was to check the hens and collect the eggs

Now , back to the recipe. Tapioca ( or Kappa in Malayalam ) is a staple food in Kerala. Boiled tapioca can be used as a tea time snack or can be used as main course when combined with spicy fish curry .

Few months back Nags from Edible Garden had posted an easy tapioca dish for the Kerala Kitchen cook along. Though I had made the dish intending to participate in it, couldn’t get to post it. Since kappa was already in the menu, made the red fish curry to go with it.

So here’ s the recipe..

RECIPE FOR BOILED TAPIOCA

INGREDIENTS

• Kappa or tapicoa, cubed  – 500 gm
• Garlic, crushed -5 cloves
• Dry red chillies – 5
• Coconut oil -1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Split urad dal or uzhunnu parippu – 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves, torn into pieces – 1 strand
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

METHOD

1. Peel the tapioca and wash it thoroughly. Cut into rough cubes by driving the knife in and splitting it off the centre of the tapioca.
2. Cook the tapioca in a pan with enough water to cover it by an inch, until the pieces are soft (about 10-15 mins).
3. Crush or coarsely grind the garlic and red chillies together in a pestle and Mortar.
4. Heat oil and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the garlic-chilli paste along with the turmeric powder and fry for 10 seconds until fragrant.
5. Add the cooked tapioca, salt, and the curry leaves. Mix well and continue to stir until the spices coat the tapioca.

RECIPE FOR RED FISH CURRY WITH COCCUM

This Fish Curry goes well with tapioca . The curry tastes best when prepared the day before . It lets the fish absorb the flavours of the spices, the fiery red chilli powder and the tanginess of coccum. Also cooking in an earthen pot will add a unique flavour to the fish curry.

The curry gets its deep red colour from the kashmiri chilli powder. Use kashmiri chilli powder that is less spicy , as the recipe calls for 4 tbsp of chilly powder. Or you can cut down the quantity of the chilli powder depending on how spicy you need the curry to be.

INGREDIENTS

• Kingfish (or any other big fish ) – 1 kg
• Small onions / Shallots  – 20
• Garlic cloves – 4
• Ginger  – 1″ piece
• Kashmiri chilli powder – 4 tbsp
• Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
• Coccum (kudempuli in malayalam) – 4
• Fenugreek seeds (uluva  in malayalam) – 1 tsp
• Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves – a handful
• Salt – to taste

METHOD

1. Clean the coccum and keep it aside in 1/2 cup of water.
2. Chop thinly the shallots, garlic and ginger .
3. Mix the kashmiri chilli powder ans turmeric powder in 1/2 cup of water to form a smooth paste. Keep aside.
4. Heat oil in a  pan or earthn pot . Add fenugreek leaves and let it splutter. Add the curry leaves
5. Saute the shallots, garlic and ginger.
6. Add the chilli and turmeric powder paste and saute well for 7-10 minutes .
7. Add 2 cups of water and coccum.
8. Add salt to taste and let it boil
9. Add the fish pieces, cover with lid and boil the curry on medium flame till the fish pieces are cooked well and oil floats on top.
10. Turn off the flame and garnish with handful of curry leaves

NOTE : You can adjust the quantity of the kashmiri chilli powder depending on how spicy you want.  The fish curry gets it deep red colour from the kashmiri chilli powder.