Steamed Fish in Banana Leaf | Meen Pollichathu | Fish Fry in Banana Leaf | Vazhai Ilai Meen

Steamed Fish in Banana Leaf | Meen Pollichathu | Fish Fry in Banana Leaf | Vazhai Ilai Meen is a healthy option for fish lovers, that too who prefer fried fish rather than curry fish. This is more like steaming fish in banana leaf. Though Karimmen (Pearl Spot fish) Pollichathu is our family’s favourite, I didn’t  plan for preparing any special dish last week when I bought koduva | barramundi fish. When I was marinating  the fish with spices, I got an idea of preparing this fish fry in banana leaf as I got some left-over  banana leaves which I bought for Panguni Uththiram, the previous day. I followed the simple recipe, yet it turned out to be so yummy. This is mainly due to the flavours of banana leaf which really enhanced the taste & aroma of the dish. The fish potlis looked so cute on the serving plate and tasted real yum. We enjoyed it as a starter with onion rings & tomatoes and got vanished like flash in the pan.

Ingredients:

• Fish – 5 pieces
• Banana leaves – as required
• Oil – 2 tbsp for frying
• Onion, cilantro, tomato – for garnishing

For marination:

• Red chilli  powder – 1 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp
• Pepper powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Lemon juice – 1 tsp
• Thick tamarind paste – 1 tsp
• Oil- 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Clean & wash the fish pieces using water with turmeric and curd.
2. Add the ingredients kept for marinating and mix everything well to form a paste. Add few drops of water, if needed, to make a thick paste.
3. Apply this masala paste on the fish pieces and marinate in the refrigerator for an hour.
4. In the mean time, wash the banana leaves and dry them.  Check the leaves by folding them to ensure that they are flexible enough to wrap the fish, without tearing. If they are thick and tend to tear while folding, switch on the flame and show the banana leaves over the flame for few seconds, just to make it tender. Don’t overdo this to change the colour of the leaves. Normally tender leaves won’t get torn while folding.
5. Cut the leaves into big squares to wrap the fish pieces.
6. Place the single fish piece with some marinade, in the centre of each banana leaf and fold on all the sides to form a potli or packet. Tie it with twain or thread. Repeat for other fish pieces and prepare the potlis | packets.
7. In a non stick pan, add 2 tbsp of oil and heat.
8. When the oil is hot, arrange the fish potlis on the pan and keep it closed.  Cook  the fish in simmer for about 5 minutes. Then carefully flip the fish to other side and cook covered for 5 minutes. Repeat again with both sides twice or thrice & cook covered until done. This will take 20 to 25 minutes in simmer.

Tasty fish potlis are ready to relish. Enjoy the bite with any of your favourite side | dip or with hot, steamed rice & fish curry...

Note:

• Care should be taken while flipping the fish potlis.
• You can add any spice | masala of your choice and proceed with the same cooking process but marination part is very much essential.

Tags: Fish Fry in banana leaf recipe, steamed fish fry recipe, Fish pollichathu, Koduva meen in Banana leaf, How to cook fish in banana leaves?,  Fish fry in banana leaf, Fish cooked in banana leaf, Fish banana potlis, Fish potlis for starter , Vazhai Ilai meen recipe, simple fish fry in banana leaf, koduva meen fry, Healthy fish fry recipes, Diet fish recipes, Seafood recipes, fish recipes, Simple koduva fish fry recipe, How to steam cook fish in banana leaf? Grilled fish in banana leaf, steamed barramundi in banana leaf

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Viral Meen Kuzhambu | Madurai Meen Kuzhambu | Manga Meen Kuzhambu | Raw Mango Fish Curry

Viral Meen Kuzhambu | Madurai Meen Kuzhambu | Manga Meen Kuzhambu | Raw Mango Fish Curry is a tangy, spicy gravy and a specialty of South Indian cuisine. It’s my childhood favourite which brings back so many memorable events. We all would stand around my grandma to see the live fish. It was fun seeing the fish jumping here and there in the backyard. My Grandma was an expert in making this curry as it was my grandpa’s favorite. She used to take extra care while preparing this fish curry.

The specialty of this fish curry lies with the “viral meen” which is known as Butter Fish |  Murrel in English. This fish is a fresh water fish and will impart special aroma and flavour to this curry. Making of viral meen kuzhambu happens to be a long project due to the cleaning process of this fish. This fish is available live in the fish markets and the fish vendors will simply cut the fish into pieces, as he does for other fishes. But there’s still more work to do! This fish has to be rubbed on a hard stone so that the coating on the fish’s skin can be removed. Otherwise it becomes gel-like. Nowadays online fish stores are  delivering cleaned murrel which makes our cooking very easy.

Basically I like fish fry rather than fish pieces in gravy but this viral meen is an exception. Try this and you’ll realize what I’m saying is 100% true.

I’ve already posted the recipe for meen kuzhambu in Chettinad Style – Manchatti Meen Kuzhambu. So, today, I’ve prepared this gravy in Madurai style.

Here we go with the recipe!

Ingredients:

• Murrel (Viral Meen) - 1/2 kg
• Shallots (small onion) - 10 Nos
• Garlic – 5 pods
• Green chillies - 2 Nos
• Tomato - 1 No.
• Raw mango – 2 pieces
• Tamarind - lemon size
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp.
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbs
• Salt to taste

To grind:

• Shallots – 5 Nos
• Garlic – 5 pods
• Grated coconut - 2 tbs
• Fennel – ½ tsp
• Peppercorns – ½ tsp

For seasoning:

• Gingelly oil - 2 tbs
• Mustard - 1 tsp
• Fenugreek - ½ teaspoon
• Fennel seeds – ½ tsp
• Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Wash and thoroughly clean the fish, using salt and turmeric powder.
2. Soak the tamarind in a cup of water.
3. Chop onion and tomato finely.
4. Heat oil in a manchatti (clay pot) on the stove, add mustard, fenugreek and fennel seeds  one by one. After it splutters, add the shallots, garlic, slit green chillies.
5. Add a tomato and sauté well till the tomato gets mashed.
6. Add the tamarind pulp and continue adding chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and crystalline salt.
7. Stir well and cover  with a lid. Let it boil for about 5 minutes till the raw smell of masala is gone.
8. In the mean time, fry shallots and garlic in little oil and grind with other ingredients given "for grinding" by adding little water into a fine paste.
9. When the gravy thickens, add mango pieces and allow it to cook for about 2 minutes.
10. Then add the fish pieces and cover the manchatti again till the fish pieces get cooked.
11. After the fish pieces get cooked, add the ground paste and chopped coriander. Let it boil for 5 minutes. Simmer for 2 minutes.
12. Take the manchatti off the stove and leave the kuzhambu in manchatti atleast for half an hour before serving, as it will add a unique flavor to the meen kuzhambu.

Your tasty, tangy, flavourful Viral Meen Kuzhambu in Madurai Meen Kuzhambu style is ready to enjoy with hot, steamed rice. I have served this fish curry with Viral meen fry and it tasted yummm..

Note:

• You can increase or decrease the quantity of tamarind depending on the sourness of raw mango.
• The above fish curry can be made with other fish varieties too.

Tags: Viral meen kuzhambu, Madurai Viral meen Kuzhambu recipe, Fish Curry recipe, Manga meen kuzhambu recipe, Raw mango fish curry recipe, Mammidikaya chepadu pulusu, Murrel fish curry recipe, Butter fish curry, Manga meen kuzhambu in Madurai style, Seafood recipes, Fish curry varieties, South Indian Fish Curry recipe, Tangy viran meen kuzhambu recipe.

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Pomfret Fry | Chettinad Style Pomfret Fish Fry | Avoli Pollichathu

Pomfret Fish Fry | Vaaval Meen Fry | Avoli Pollichathu is an all time favourite for everyone at home. As Pomfret fish is versatile, we can add any masala we like and the fish fry will turn out accordingly. Normally in restaurants, I didn’t taste  any variations in fish fry masala except at GRT Grand where they prepared excellent  Pomfret fry.

In Tamil pomfret is known as “Vaaval Meen” and in Malayalam, “Avoli”. There are many varieties available in the market. I usually buy  silver pomfret or  white pomfret. Black pomfrets are also available.

Here I have used Chettinad Masala for frying the fish and I have no words to say, the fry turned out juicy with the full aroma of masala. So I wanted to share this recipe to everyone.

Ingredients:

• Pomfret fish – 500 gms
• Red chilli powder – 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
• Tamarind juice (thick) – 1 tbsp
• Lemon juice – 1 tsp
• Salt to tatse
• Oil – to shallow fry

To grind:

• Garlic – 10 pods
• Pepper  – 1 tsp
• Fennel – ½ tsp

Method:

1. Select pomfret  fish,  each of which weighs about 200 to 250 gms. Cut the tail and fins. Make a small slit at the side and carefully remove the intestine and other wastes without affecting the shape of the fish. Clean the fish using water with turmeric and curd. Make 2 to 3 slits on the both sides of the fish.
2. Grind the ingredients given under “To grind” to a smooth paste by adding few drops of water.
3. In a plate, transfer the ground paste and mix with red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, tamarind juice and lemon juice and make a thick paste.
4. Apply this masala paste on the fish concentrating on the slits . This will help the masala to get absorbed into the fish. Marinate in the refrigerator for an hour.
5. In a non stick pan, add required oil for shallow frying the fish and heat.
6. When the oil is hot, fry the fish in simmer for about 5 minutes. Then carefully flip the fish to other side and cook for 5 minutes. Repeat again with both sides.

Your hot, spicy Pomfret Fry is ready to serve. This can be served as a side dish for hot steaming rice along with "Manchatti Meen Kuzhambu"!

Note:

• Care should be taken while cutting the fish so that the shape of the fish gets retained.
• Also, while cooking, the fish has to be flipped carefully without getting broken.

Tags: Pomfret Fish Fry  recipe, Chettinad style fish fry recipe, Restaurant style pomfret fry recipe, whole pomfret fish fry, stuffed pomfret fish fry, vaaval meen fry, Avoli Porichadhu, Masala Pomfert Fry, Fried pomfret recipe, How to fry whole pomfret fish?, easy pomfret fry recipe, chettinad fish fry recipe, Pomfret fish fry in Chettinad style, Chettinad style pomfret fry recipe

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Simple Vanjaram Fish Fry (Seer Fish Fry)

Preparation time :10 minutes     

Cooking time : 10 minutes

Serves 2 

Difficulty :  Easy

           Vanjaram fish is always good for making fry than kuzhambu. There are many methods i.e masala for frying fish and each masala adds unique flavor and taste to fish fry. This is a very simple masala and made in a jiffy but it will not compromise on taste.

Ingredients:

• Vanjaram or Seer Fish             - 4 pieces (sliced)
• Red chilli powder        - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder         - 1 tsp
• Lemon juice                 - 1 tsp
• Salt as required
• Oil for shallow frying

Method:

            Wash fish thoroughly , then marinate the fish pieces with red chilli powder, Turmeric powder, lemon juice and salt for minimum 30 minutes. Then pour oil in a flat bottomed pan, after oil gets heated, place the marinated pieces  and shallow fry on both sides. Tasty fish fry is ready!

            This can be served with hot steaming rice with Manchatti Meen Kuzhambu (Fish Gravy), sambar, rasam, paruppu sadam(dhal rice),  keerai sadam etc.

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Manchatti Meen Kuzhambu/ Fish Gravy/ Fish Kuzhambu

Meen Kuzhambu is a spicy, tangy gravy prepared with fish. This recipe is given for making meen kuzhambu using Chettinad Masala and the dish is prepared using Man Chatti i.e. a dish made with clay. I have used Vanjaram fish and hence it can also be called Vanjaram Meen Kuzhambu.

Ingredients:

* Seer fish (Vanjaram) - 1/4 kg
* Shallots (small onion) - 10 no.s
* Garlic - 5 cloves
* Green chillies - 2 no.s
* Tomato - 1 no.
* Tamarind - lemon size
* Chilli powder - 2 tsp.
* Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
* Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
* Grated coconut - 2 tablespoons
* Fennel - 1 teaspoon
* Gingelly oil - 2 tablespoons
* Curry leaves - few
* Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tablespoon
* Salt to taste
For tempering:
* Mustard - 1 teaspoon
* Fenugreek - 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

Wash and thoroughly clean the fish, using salt and turmeric powder. Slice it. Soak the tamarind in a cup of water. Chop onion and tomato finely. Put a manchatti on the stove, pour oil, add mustard and fenugreek one by one. After it splutters, add the shallots, garlic, slit green chillies. Add a tomato and sauté well till the tomato gets mashed. Add the tamarind pulp and continue adding chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and crystalline salt (kalluppu). Stir well and cover the manchatti with a lid. Let it boil for about 5 minutes till the raw smell of masala is gone. Add the fish pieces and cover the manchatti again till the fish pieces get cooked. In the mean time, blend coconut and fennel to create a fine paste. After the fish pieces get cooked, add this paste and chopped coriander. Let it boil for 5 minutes. Simmer for 2 minutes.

 Take the manchatti off the stove and leave the kuzhambu in manchatti atleast for half an hour before serving, which will add a unique flavor to the meen kuzhambu.

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