Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Karimeen Vazhayilayil pollichathu/Pearlspot dry fried on Banana leaf

When someone says "karimeen", this evergreen malayalam song reverberates in my mind.."ayala porichathundu, karimeen varuthathundu, kudampuli ittu vacha nalla chemmen kariyundu" The heroine is elaborating on the dishes for lunch.  To woo her hero and win his heart. She sure believed "Stomach is the way to a man's heart." The translation is something like this:fried mackerel and pearl spot fry, kokum added prawns curry. For most of us listeners the song became a paradigm for cooking fish. If it is pearl spot, it's best fried! Go ahead and dispute it if you dare I have a whole state backing me up. :)

We have posted a "meen pollichathu" earlier. That is fried and then smothered in a wet gravy. Today's is smeared with masala, wrapped and fried in banana leaf

Meen pollichathu

Ingredients:

Karimeen/Pearlspot- 2-3
Black pepper powder-2 tsp
Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Garlic paste- 1 Tbsp
Ginger paste- 1 Tbsp
Lemon juice- 1 tsp
Salt
Curry Leaves-2 sprigs
Banana leaves- for wrapping the fish
Coconut Oil- enough to spray on the leaf

Method:

1.Clean the fish by taking out the head with the parts in the stomach of the fish. Keep the tail intact.Make some shallow slits on the fish.
2.Prepare the marinade by mixing together all the ingredients, add a little water to make it a thick paste and rub it on the fish.
3.Heat an earthen pot on medium heat.Spray the coconut oil on the banana leaf and wrap the marinated fish in it.
4.Keep it in the pot and cook on low heat, turning the sides after every 2-3 minutes.
5.Serve warm with rice and a gravy of your choice.

Meen pollichathu

Notes:

1.If pearlspot is not available you could use Pomfret instaed.
2.You could reduce the amount of pepper if you would like it to be mild.
Contributor: Namitha

39 comments:

  1. Though I am a strict vegetarian and I do not cook non veg dishes ,my daughter was drooling seeing the fish ( she and her father eats non veg in hotels rarely)

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  2. wow is all i can say and wish to grab the fish and eat all by myself (sel'fish) he he

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  3. Entamme..karimeen kanichu kothipikuva.aa 1st pic enikothiri eshtayi.Meen olichu kidakunu:)

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  4. Fish looks irresistible..liked the marination spread..simple and easy to prepare..thanks!

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  5. Slobbering here....looks too tempting and tasty...

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  6. Wow...the fish looks so golden and crispy! It must be really tasty.

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  7. Dear Namitha
    Very nice dish...I am going to try it .can I use Mackerel or pomfret? I have both in stock..but I will try to get the pearlspot..I have doubt if I will get it in Delhi.
    have a nice day

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  8. absolute bliss id say..even a non fish eater like me is drooling...

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  9. Gorgeous Gorgeous fish. Love that char on it. Slurpp...

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  10. Thanks everyone.
    @ Ushnishda:Pomfret would make a great substitute :-)Thanks for reminding this. I will update the post too :-)

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  11. Wow..that is one gorgeous fried fish..

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  12. Eye catchy pics Nami, satyaytum kazhikathavareyum kothipichallo daivame!

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  13. love this one. This is someting i never get tired of eating during my kerela trips...

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  14. Adipoli nami.. This is unsahicable..njan angottu varanoo?? athul ingottu parcel cheyyoo..:)Looks terrific!!

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  15. looks perfect... feel like trying it out now... Karimeen thappanam eni :-) Hey I have posted the inji curry that I tried from ur site...

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  16. wow!!the perfect meen pollichattu....adipoli annuta....once i tried but it was failure...after cing dis want to try again!

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  17. Absolutely delightful dish...Looks awesome
    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

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  18. i want to finish this fish right now:)

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  19. yummmy fish....job well done !! :)

    http://punjabifooddiary.blogspot.com/

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  20. Feel like grabbing it..very tempting..

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  21. Oh yes i remember that song isn't it a very old song. Love Karimeen, it is a shame my hubby and daughter don't have the same passion for our kerala fish dishes,

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  22. this one would be tasty i am sure.. have to try..

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  23. Yum! Yummy yummy delicious scrumptious fishy dish!

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  24. Tempting clicks namitha,love fish...

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  25. This looks so gorgeous and tempting.An absolute Fish delight.

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  26. iyyo ente fav!!!! adipoli ayittundu kto...kothipichu

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  27. Simply superb...beautifully presented....

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  28. The fish looks totally gorgeous and delicious! There's a similar Indonesian dish with this method of cooking too. Thanks for sharing :).

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  29. WOW!! Karimeen kazhicha kalam marannu :( Avide karimeen kittumo? Last pic kandittu kothi sahikkan vayyee...

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  30. ambambo....kidilan Gulmohar....kidu snaps.. :)..u get karimeen der? enthaayaalum keralathinte thanimaye kondu vannu ee postil.. :)

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  31. Fish looks perfect and delicious.Beautiful clicks...following you

    Pushpa @ simplehomefood.com

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  32. Greetings! I am a new member to your blog. I have bookmarked sooo many of your recipes to try out.

    I have a question on this recipe, how else can I cook this fish if I don't have an earthen pot?

    Thanks again for sharing all your delicious cooking!

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  33. @ Tiggermum : You could use a iron skillet instead, but the leaf may get charred quicker than when you use an earthen pot.So keep an eye :-) Hope you'll like it

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