Meen (Tilapia) peera pattichathu / മീന്‍ പീര പറ്റിച്ചത്‌

Ingredients:
Tilapia-3 fillets
Green chilly-6-8
Ginger-1/4" piece
Garlic-1 small
Turmeric powder-1/3 tsp
Shallots or onion-1/4 cup, chopped

Sun dried Gambooge/Kudampuli (കുടംപുളി)-2
Shredded coconut-1.5 cup
Curry leaves-a handful
Coconut Oil-2 tsp
salt

 Method:
Clean fish and cut into medium size pieces. Soak Kudampuli in 1/4 cup of water. Crush together green chilly, ginger, garlic and shallots/onions. Mix these with shredded coconut and turmeric powder and slightly crush it again. Layer fish pieces in a manchatti/ heavy bottomed pan and add the above crushed coconut mixture and salt. Pour in kudampuli along with water. Add curry leaves. If needed add more water (~1 cup) and combine everything together. Cook covered in medium heat for 20 min. Uncover and drizzle coconut oil.Serve with rice or kappa.

Chilly Fish

Ingredients: (Preparation time 30-45 min)


-----for frying fish

• Fish fillets-3 (I used tilapia)
• Chilly powder-1/2 tsp
• All purpose flour-3 tsp
• Soy sauce-1 tsp
• Egg-1
• Salt

------for gravy

1. Onion-2, diced
2. Bell pepper-1, diced
3. Garlic-t tsp, finelly chopped
4. Ginger-1/2 tsp, finely chopped
5. Green chilly-2, sliced lengthwise
6. Chilly powder-1/2 tsp
7. Black pepper powder-1/2 tsp
8. Soy sauce-3 tsp
9. Tomato Ketchup- 2 tsp
10. Vinegar-1 tsp
11. All purpose flour(1/2 tsp) dissolved in 1 tbsp of water
12. Salt
13. Paprika powder-1/2 tsp (for color)
14. Spring onions-1/4 cup, chopped(for garnishing)

Method:
Cut fish into medium sized pieces.
Mix together chilly powder, flour, salt and make a thick batter with soy sauce and beaten egg (you may add roughly 1/2 of one beaten egg).Coat the fish pieces with this batter and shallow fry both sides in a wide pan (take care not to overcrowd). Once it is cooked removed pieces, add more oil and add chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies. Saute for 5 min and add onions. When onions are transparent stir in bell peppers and add fried fish followed by the remaining ingredients (6-13). Cover it and cook 5 more min. Open the lid stir carefully til the gravy is dry. Garnish with chopped spring onions.

Fried Tilapia

 Ingredients:
Tilapia fillets-2
Chilly powder-1 tsp
Black pepper powder-1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil for frying

Method:
Cut the fish fillet into medium pieces. Make a paste of all the ingredients in water and marinate the fish for 30 min. Fry both sides in oil until the pieces became light brown color. Serve with rice.

Thenga aracha meen curry

Ingredients:
Fish- 2 fillets (I used tilapia fillets)
Green chilly-3-4, sliced lengthwise
Garlic-2, chopped
Kudam puli/Cocum/Kokum-2
Curry leaves-2 sprigs

For grinding:
Pearl onion-3
Grated coconut-1/2 cup
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Chilly powder-1.5 tsp
Coriander powder-1/4 tsp

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Pearl onion-2, sliced
Coconut oil-2 tsp 

Method:

1. Clean fish and cut into medium pieces
2. Soak kudam puli in 1/2 cup of water.
3. Grind the ingredients listed to a fine paste by adding 1/2 cup of water.
4. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan (clay pot) and add garlic and green chillies. Saute for 2 minutes add ground coconut paste, kudam puli along with water and salt. Bring it to boil and add fish. (Add 1cup water  if you need more gravy). Cook covered until the fish is cooked. Open the lid, add curry leaves and  simmer for 5 more minutes.
5. In another pan add 1 tsp of oil splutter mustards and add pearl onion saute until onions are brown, add this into the fish curry. Serve hot with rice or kappa
   

Kappayum meenum.

Fish curry (Meen mulakittathu)

Ingredients:
Fish - 1Kg (I used Tilapia)
Kashmiri red chilly powder- 3-4 tsp
Coriander powder-1/2 tsp (optional)
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Ginger-3-4 tsp(chopped)
Garlic-3-4 tsp(chopped)
Pearl onion-4-5(chopped)
Kudam puli-3-4 (medium)
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds(uluva)-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-2 sprigs
Salt
Coconut oil/ any veg oil
Method:

1. Clean fish and cut into medium sized square pieces
2. Soak kudampuli in 1/2 cup of water.
3. Make a paste of chilly powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder in water.
4. Heat oil in a pan (preferably manchatti) splutter fenugreek seeds followed by mustard seeds. Add ginger, garlic and onion. Saute until the raw smell has gone. Now add the chilly powder paste, salt. Saute until you see the oil bubbling through the paste. 
5. Add soaked kudam puli along with water and bring it to boil. Finally add fish pieces, curry leaves, 1-2 cups of water and salt. Cook covered in medium heat for half an hour. After that simmer it until the curry gets thickened. 

The curry would taste better next day.  

One more method:
Follow the steps 1-4.Grind everything in a blender and make a paste. Transfer everything into a cooking vessel and follow the step 5. Serve warm with rice or kappa.

Karimeen fry (Pearl spot fry)

Ingredients:

1. Karimeen (Pearl spot)-1
2. Red chilly powder- 3/4 tsp
3. Black pepper powder-1/2 tsp
4. Coriander powder-1/4 tsp
5. Turmeric powder-1or 2 pinches
6. Ginger garlic paste- 1/2 tsp
7. Salt
8. Coconut oil for frying
9. Sliced onion for garnishing

Method:

1. Clean fish and make gashes on both sides
2. Make a paste of the ingredients 2-7 in water or lemon juice. Apply it on fish and keep in refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
3. Warm oil in a pan and fry fish for 20 min (10 min each side)
4. Garnish with sliced onion, green chillies or curry leaves and serve warm with rice

Ayala pollichathu (Roasted Mackerel)

Ingredients:
For marination:

1. Ayala (Mackerel)- 2
2. Kashmiri chilly powder- 1tsp
3. Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
4. Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
   
5. Salt

For gravy:

1. Onion: 2 medium, thinly sliced
2. Tomato-1, chopped
3. Green chilly- 3-5, sliced lengthwise
4. Pepper powder-1 tsp
5. Coriander powder- 2tsp
6. Garam masala-1 tsp
7. Coconut milk-2 tsp
8. Salt

plantain leaf
Curry leaves
Coconut oil


Method:

1. Clean fish, make gashes and marinate with ingredients 2-4 for an hour.
2. Warm oil in a pan and add few curry leaf sprigs and fry fish over that. Cook both sides and keep aside
3. Heat oil in a pan, fry onions, curry leaves and green chillies. Saute until onions are slight brown. Add all masala powders and saute for a while. Stir in chopped tomatoes and cook covered. Finally add thin coconut milk and cook until the gravy is thick.
4. Place half of the gravy in a plantain leaf, then fried fish and the remaining gravy. Sprinkle 1 tsp of lemon juice and make a parcel using plantain leaf.
   
5. Spay some oil in a pan and roast both sides of the parcel until you see the leaf turned brown. Open up the parcel and serve hot with rice.

Meen pollichathu (Roasted Fish)

'Meen pollichathu' is an indigenous dish to kerala. Usually its done with karimeen (pearlspot) in plantain leaf. I tried this recipe with tilapia fillets using the ingredients I normally use for prawns masala. It came out very delicious and I thought I should share this.
There are 3 main steps in this recipe:
preparation of fish, preparation of gravy and finally roasting of the parcels made with the fish and gravy.

Ingredients
For marination:

1. Tilapia fillets-3
2. Ginger garlic paste-1tsp
3. Chilly powder-1 tsp
4. Pepper powder-1/2 tsp
5. Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
6. Lemon juice-1tsp
7. Salt to taste

For gravy:

1. Onion-2 chopped
2. Tomato-1 chopped
3. Ginger- 2 inch piece
4. Garlic- 3 big cloves
5. Green chilly-3
6. Chilly powder- 2tsp
7. Coriander powder-1 tsp
8. Fennel powder-1 tsp
9. Cumin powder-1/4 tsp
10. Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
11. Pepper powder-1/2 tsp
12. Coconut milk-1/2cup
13. Lemon juice-1.5 tsp
    
14. Curry leaves
15. Salt
16. Oil
17. Foil

Method
Step 1: Preparing fish

1. Clean fish and wipe off any water.
   
2. Make a paste of chilly powder, ginger garlic paste, pepper powder and turmeric powder in lemon juice and apply this all over the fish. Marinate for at least 30 min.
3. Heat oil in a pan and fry the fillets for 5 min each side. After frying keep the fillets aside.

Step 2 : Preparing gravy

1. Crush ginger, garlic and green chillies (or you can chop them)
   
2. Add some more oil into the pan where you fried fillets, splutter mustards and add crushed ginger, garlic and green chillies and curry leaves followed by chopped onions. Saute until the onions turned light brown.
3. Add all the remaining powders (ingredients 6-11)and saute until you get a nice aroma.
4. Add chopped tomato, salt and cook covered until it forms a fine paste.
5. Add coconut milk and saute until you see the oil separates from the coconut milk. The gravy should not be too loose or too thick. Divide it into 6 portions(2 portions goes with each fillet)

Step 3: Preparing fish parcels and roasting:

1. Cut foil into roughly 30cmx 20cm (enough to wrap one filletsh)
   
2. Spread one portion of the gravy on foil.
   
3. Keep the fish above the gravy and spread one more layer of gravy above fillet. Keep some onion wedges above that and add 1/2 tsp of lemon juice. Fold foil and make a parcel.
   
4. Heat 1/2 tsp of oil(or just spray some oil)in a non stick flat bottomed pan and place these parcels and cook covered in medium heat for 3-5 min each side.
5. Transfer the fillet along with its gravy to a plate and garnish with lemon, onion or tomatoes.

• You can do this with any kind of fish fillets. Make gashes if you are using thick fillets.

• Replace the chilly powder with kashmiri chilly to reduce spiciness