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Monday, September 26, 2011

Meen Pollichathu / Baked Fish in banana wraps

Today I have a delightful recipe of Kerala,very loved one- Meen Pollichathu / Baked fish in Banana wraps.Baked Fish in banana wraps / Meen Pollichathu is a common delicacy of Central Kerala in India.Usually its Karimeen / pearl spots which are wrapped in banana wraps and baked with a tasty masala mix.But we can replace pearl spots with tilapia/pomfret/ salmon fillets too.The taste may be a little milder compared to pearl spots but we loved it !!


The toddy shops in kerala serves the best recipe of this.There are mainly three steps involved in this recipe .The marinated fish is first carmalized in a shallow pan with oil ,the masala mix is prepared in another pan and finally layered into the banana wraps and sealed thoroughly and cooked again in a a covered non stick pan or oven.Though there is more effort but the final result is awesome !!



Ingredients
for marination
Tilapia fillets -2 large sized
ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp
pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
chilly powder 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
lime juice 2 tsp
salt

for masala mix
shallots 1 cup fine chopped
tomatoes 2 medium sized chopped
green chillies - 4 chopped
ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp
chilly powder- 1 /2 tsp
coriander powder- 1 tsp
pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
garam masala - 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
fenugreek / uluva - 1/2 tsp
lime juice 2 tsp
coconut milk 3/4 cup
mustard seeds 1 tsp
oil 5 tsp(preferably coconut oil)
curry leaves

for wrap
banana leaves / aluminium foil to wrap the fish
tooth pick to secure


Method

-Wash and clean the tilapia or pomfret or salmon as per desired using salt and lime juice.
-Cut gashes on the fish if its with the bone,otherwise if using fillets no gashes required.
-Marinate the fish using ingredients listed under marination and place it in refrigerator for 3 hours.
-Heat oil in a non stick pan and shallow fry the fish for 5 minutes each on both sides,till its caramelized.(no need to cook thoroughly)Keep aside on a paper towel.
-Heat oil in the same pan ,splutter mustard seeds.
-Add in the chopped onion ,saute for 5 minutes.
-Add the green chillies,curry leaves and tomatoes.
-Cook the tomatoes till mushy.
-Add the spices and give a quick toss.
-Lower the flame and add the coconut milk ,keep stirring till the masala thickens.Put off flame.
-Clean a banana leaf / foil and add the masala mix ,then place the caramalized fish and add another spoon of mix on top so that its covered completely.
-Wilt the banana leaf on a stove top so that it is easy to fold and wrap.
-Wrap the leaf /foil completely to cover the fish. and secure with tooth picks.(I cooked two in foil and two halves in foil)
-Pre heat oven to 350 degrees and place it in a baking tray ,bake for 20 minutes.
OR  If using the stove method,Use a pan and place the foil / leaf wrap in it and cover with a lid .Keep on medium  flame for 5-7  minutes each side.(I used the baking method)
-You can find the leaves get browned and shrink  so I have not displayed it here,rather used a fresh leaf to place the baked fish.
-Serve hot with lemon wedges and sliced onion.





Also sending this to THE KERALA KITCHEN hosted by Divya of easy cooking this month



Also sending this to SUNDAY SPECIAL  weekly event hosted by Roshan's cucina

28 comments:

Recipeswap said... Best Blogger Tips

Looks super!

MyKitchen Flavors-BonAppetit!. said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi Julie,ur fish luks yumm and vivid.Appetizingly Good click.I was looking for this recipe or its Bengali Version for a long time.Thanks for sharing and dropping in.

Nitha said... Best Blogger Tips

Ethokke kanumbol sherikkum vaayil vellam varunnu..

Sobha Shyam said... Best Blogger Tips

baked fish sounds interesting, i like the dishes which is wrapped in vazhayilas..it would have been very flavourful rt..

Julie said... Best Blogger Tips

Thanx all for your quick compliments..
@ Sobha: Yes,It was very flavourful!!

aipi said... Best Blogger Tips

It sounds like such an authentic recipe ~ loved it!
USMasala

Torviewtoronto said... Best Blogger Tips

looks delicious a favourite

Nandinis food said... Best Blogger Tips

Wow! Baked fish! It looks very lovely and flavourful! I'd love to gobble that!

Amina Creations said... Best Blogger Tips

Wow.. the fish looks absolutely delicious... must try some day.. bookmarking it..

Suhaina said... Best Blogger Tips

i always prefer policha fish over the fry one..but its really time consuming and a bit tedious... hats of for u...u have done a wonderful job.
We too make it the same way but with slight variations in the masala..

Neetz said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi JUlie. thanks a ton for tkaing your time and dropping in at my spca..glad to follow u too :) this dish is my fav when i go to any rest i order this one :).. have tried once..didnt come out well.. i will try this sometime :)

Priya Suresh said... Best Blogger Tips

Wow wat an authentic dish, makes me drool..thanks for visiting my space..

ജയരാജ്‌മുരുക്കുംപുഴ said... Best Blogger Tips

aashamsakal..................

Treat and Trick said... Best Blogger Tips

Looks fabulous and nicely presented!


http://treatntrick.blogspot.com

✿Sie✿ said... Best Blogger Tips

hello Ms.Julie-wow I am smiling at least I can try the recipe because we have lots of tilapia fish here..so nutritious and healthy too because it is baked..thank you for this recipe Ms.Julie :)

I'm glad your url is ok now

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

Looks delicious. Baked with banana leaf is bringing a feeling of authentic dish.

Cheers,
uma

Jayanthy Kumaran said... Best Blogger Tips

delicious n so quick..:P
Tasty Appetite

Vineetha Sush said... Best Blogger Tips

First time in ur space...I have been inactive in blogging for a long time...Will follow u .This looks adipoli !!

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi Julie, like your new blog home :) What does the title mean?
Also do stop by and check out my blog anniversary giveaways dear -look forward to your participation
cheers,
priya

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

lovely colors.. I love the way spices stick to the fish..

Neha said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi...first time on your blog..You have an awesome space...Fish looks so tempting...Following you dear...Do visit me at http://muchmorethanahomemaker.blogspot.com/
Cheers

Pushpa said... Best Blogger Tips

Flavorful recipe looks tempting and delicious.

Reshmi Mahesh said... Best Blogger Tips

Vayayil vellam vannu...super..

Manju said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi there Julie - the name of your blog drew me here as I immediately craved something with erivum puliyum :) I have helped my mom-in-law make Meen Pollichathu when I was in India last, never made it on my own!

Panchamrutham said... Best Blogger Tips

Perfectly tempting.....

http://www.panchamrutham.blogspot.com/

Nisha said... Best Blogger Tips

Looks superp .

La @ FoodSlice said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi Julie, love the baked fish in banana leaf.. bookmarked it as i have been meaning to cook it this way for a while now. And thank you kindly for visiting my space.
I went through a few recipes and pages here and you have some delicious sounding recipes.

Manju @ Manjus Eating Delights said... Best Blogger Tips

Hi Julie,
Loved this recipe. My hus is a huge fan of meen pollichathu and its so difficult to get it in restaurants in Minneapolis. I must give this a try.

Thanks a lot for stopping by my blog and leaving such lovely comments. I'll be surely following yours.

Regards,Manju