The tale of Fish Stories continues…. my endless love for fish and seafood dishes…!

Like all my other South Indian fish recipes, this Roasted Coconut Fish Curry is also an All-Time Favorite… an Amalgamation of some Authentic Flavors! The memories of this dish go all the way back to my childhood and my mom’s hometown; a small village called Pathiyoor in Kerala. My grandma was the master of this recipe and she perfected this dish so well that even today the taste and aroma unravel a vision of hidden childhood memories which make me nostalgic and homesick. Grandma used to serve this curry with mashed tapioca, a combination called Kappayum Meenum (കപ്പയും മീനും) which is every Malayalee’s meal to die for. And, if the fish came with roe (പരിഞ്ഞിൽ), then this dish just tastes a whole new level!

The key to this dish’s perfection is the roasted coconut gravy. Dry roasting the coconut properly is a heinous task, which you can master by stirring it on a low flame with a little patience. It should not be under or over done (coconut turned dark brown) and should have a light golden color, which is ideal to proceed with adding spices.  When you blend it, a perfectly roasted coconut will release oil making it a thick n rich paste.

Roasted Coconut based dishes are a staple to every Keralite. Be it a street food meal or a luxury hotel dish, vegetarian or non-vegetarian, a regular home meal or a feast… you will come across endless varieties of curries made with this thick brown gravy. And it doesn’t matter either if served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. In fact, visit any Toddy shop in Kerala and Kappayum Meenum is the go-to meal with a bottle of fresh coconut toddy.

You can also check out my Roasted Coconut Chickpeas Curry and Cashew Theeyal recipes which also have a similar gravy base.

It is this rich and thick gravy which makes this dish stand out among other fish recipes. The aroma of the roasted coconut along with the spices and the combination with the sourness from the tamarind, makes this curry a lip-smacking dish which you can savor with the classic side of kappa (tapioca/yuca). You can also enjoy this dish with steamed rice, roti or naan.

Interested in more Kerala style fish recipes, check this out:

• Anchovy Fry/ നെത്തോലി നിറവ്
• Fish Fry / മീൻ വറുത്തത്
• Fish Molly / Kerala Style Fish Stew
• Fish Curry with Coconut Milk /തേങ്ങാപാൽ ഒഴിച്ച മീൻ കറി
• Red Fish Curry/മീൻ മുളകിട്ടത് 
• Fish Biriyani 

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!

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Roasted Coconut Fish Curry / Varutharacha Meen Curry

Rich n Hearty Kerala Style Roasted Coconut Fish Curry … made with Spices, Tamarind, Coconut and Balanced to a Perfection! Serve with a side of Mashed Tapioca and you have a Match made in Heaven…!!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword fish curry, kerala

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For Roasting Coconut

• 2 cup grated coconut
• 3 small onions (sliced)
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp chili powder (add more if you like it hot)
• 1½ tsp coriander powder

For the fish Curry

• 5 അയല / mackerel (or fish of your choice, cleaned and cut)
• 2 green chilly (slit)
• 2-3 കുടംപുളി / gambooge (malabar tamarind)
• ¼ tsp fenugreek powder
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 1½ cup water (or more as required)
• Salt (as required)

Instructions

For Roasting Coconut

• Heat a pan and dry roast grated coconut along with small onions on a low to medium flame until it starts turning lightly golden brown.
• When you start seeing a golden / light brown color, add the spices; chili, coriander and turmeric powder. Stir on a low flame for another 2-3 minutes until roasted well, be careful not to overdo nor turn dark brown. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool. If you are using whole spices, you need to roast them from the beginning along with the coconut at step 1.
• Once cooled, grind all the roasted ingredients into a smooth paste. While grinding, the roasted coconut will release its oil, indicating that you roasted it perfectly.

For the Curry

• In a manchatti (earthern pot) or pan, add the roasted coconut paste along with gamboge (kudampuli), curry leaves, green chilies and water, stir and mix well. Heat the pan on a medium flame bringing the curry to a boil.
• Once the curry starts boiling, add the fish and reduce the flame to a low. Check the tanginess and salt. As the curry reaches a boil, add fenugreek powder.
• Allow the curry to boil on the low flame for another 10-15 mins or until the desired consistency is reached.
• Switch off the flame and cover the pan with a lid. The curry should sit undisturbed for 30 mins at least before serving. Ideally it tastes best when served the next day.
• Enjoy with steamed rice, mashed tapioca or chapathi.

Notes

• Fishes like mackerel (അയല), king fish (നെയ്യ് മീൻ), tuna (ചൂര), pompano, tilapia, sardine (മത്തി), big pink perch (ഉണ്ണിമേരി) can be used.
• Add more water if you prefer your curry with more gravy.

The post Roasted Coconut Fish Curry / Varutharacha Meen Curry appeared first on Pepper Delight.

With Easter being around the corner, it’s time to share my recipe for one of the most popular Easter dishes of my hometown Kerala; Fish Molee…!

So, what’s this dish all about? It’s a mildly spiced fish stew made with coconut milk, usually served along with Appam (pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut) or bread. I’m still not convinced on what it’s actual name is, I hear Fish Molly / Molee / Moilee (duh, people pronounce it differently) and in Malayalam we call it Meen Molly; meen meaning fish, likewise.

Spicy Hot is a major highlight of all the fish recipes in Kerala, and that’s where fish molee stands out for its versatility & being mild on the spiciness. The use of green chilies and black pepper keeps the heat subtle while the coconut milk makes it creamy and rich, and of course the aroma from the fresh curry leaves takes the whole dish to the next level… No wonder it’s a tourist favorite!!!

The story of the dish Fish Molee goes all the way back a few centuries when Portuguese were colonizing India, and Kerala was one of their major trading ports then. Their influence gave a major impact to Indian culture, trade and food. They introduced many vegetables including potatoes, pineapple, watermelon, guava as well as some of their signature dishes like Pork Vindaloo, Portuguese Beef stew and Barbeque, to the Indian food palate. Since Kerala was abundant with spices, coconuts, and seafood, the local people who worked for them cooked some of their traditional Kerala dishes, but they couldn’t handle the heat. So, the dish was later modified by getting rid of the red chili powder and adding coconut milk, to make it mild. The Portuguese very much enjoyed the dish and named it after the lady Molly who cooked it, and that’s how Fish Molee was born!

Fish Molee is quite similar to Kerala Chicken Stew in its preparation. Both are mildly spiced and flavored with coconut milk, however they differ in the spices used.  Here the fried fish pieces are simmered in a coconut milk gravy along with black pepper and tomatoes. The dish is best served with Appam or bread, but chapathis, rotis & rice also go well.

Interested in more Kerala style fish recipes, check this out:

• Anchovy Fry/ നെത്തോലി നിറവ്
• Fish Fry / മീൻ വറുത്തത്
• Roasted Coconut Fish Curry / വറുത്തരച്ച മീൻ കറി
• Fish Curry with Coconut Milk /തേങ്ങാപാൽ ഒഴിച്ച മീൻ കറി
• Red Fish Curry/മീൻ മുളകിട്ടത് 
• Fish Biriyani 

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!

Interested in a Gluten-Free version with Greek flavours? Check out this healthy Greek Fish Soup with potatoes & vegetables (Psarosoupa) from The Hungry Bites.

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare. Rate us if you love it!

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Fish Molly / Molee / Kerala Style Fish Stew

Creamy and Rich, Mildly Spiced Fish Stew made with Coconut Milk, Tomatoes, Green chilies and Pepper... A Traditional Kerala Easter Dish...! 

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword fish curry, fish molee, fish molly, kerala easter

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 5

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For the marinade

• ½ kg fish (see notes, I have used pompano here)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp pepper powder
• Salt (as required)

For the fish molee

• ½ inch sized ginger piece (finely minced)
• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 medium sized onion (sliced)
• 3-4 green chilies (slit)
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 cup thin coconut milk
• 1 cup thick coconut milk
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 to mato (sliced to rounds)
• Salt (as required)
• Coconut oil (as required)

Instructions

• Clean and cut fish into pieces. Marinate with lemon juice, pepper, salt and turmeric powder for 15-20 minutes.
• In a kadai/pan, add little oil and shallow fry fish on both sides. Keep it aside.
• In a separate pan, add oil and heat on a medium flame. Add curry leaves, ginger, garlic and green chilies, sauté for a minute until its raw smell subsides.
• Add the sliced onions and sauté until it turns translucent, ensure not to brown the onions.
• Follow by adding turmeric powder, pepper powder and thin coconut milk. Close the lid and allow the curry to boil for 5-6 minutes on a medium flame. When the oil starts separating, reduce the flame to a low and add lemon juice, mix well.
• Now add the fried fish, cover it with the gravy, and allow the curry to blend well with the fish, bring to a boil. Do not stir once the fish is added, instead rotate the pan to mix the gravy.
• Add the thick coconut milk and cook on a low flame for another 2 minutes, make sure not to allow the dish to boil beyond this stage. Check for the seasoning.
• Add sliced round tomatoes and more curry leaves, close the lid and switch off the flame. Let the tomato cook in the remaining steam.
• Serve with Appam, Idiyappam, Chapati/Roti, Rice or Bread.

Notes

• Addition of lemon juice is optional, but I highly recommend it. You can skip it and add a half of a chopped tomato for the extra tanginess.

• Fishes like tilapia, pompano, salmon, king fish, pomfret, red snapper, pearl spot can be used.

• Adjust the spiciness of the curry according to your taste by reducing green chilies.

• Coconut oil is ideal for all authentic Kerala recipes, but any neutral oil except for olive oil would do.

The post Fish Molly / Molee / Kerala Style Fish Stew appeared first on Pepper Delight.

Your day-to-day food is made to taste great and nothing can beat an authentic recipe. My hometown Kerala, a southern state of India, is blessed with fresh seafood and a lot of coconut, thereby making both an inevitable part of my diet. Almost all Kerala dishes have coconut incorporated in some form or the other and same is the case in our fish recipes. So what’s cooking for lunch today’s? It’s none other than a fish curry, but the highlight is… I have not used coconut at all…!

This dish is a Red fish curry a.k.a. “Meen Mulakittathu” or “Meen Vevichathu”, which is the one of the easiest fish curry recipes in Kerala. Its authentic preparation involves cooking in a clay pot, as it is believed that the pot enhances the flavour of the curry. During the earlier days when refrigerators where not in use, this curry was prepared a day before and was left overnight in the clay pot for its real flavours to come out.

The use of gambooge/kudampuli is another key ingredient which actually brings a smoky tanginess to the curry. Gambooge is a fruit which once ripe, is de-seeded, sun-dried, smoked and stored, and is later soaked in hot water a few minutes before cooking. I have also used Kashmiri Red chili powder which gives the bright red color to the curry while maintaining the spiciness.

The specialty of this dish is the perfect balance of the flavours and the simplicity in its preparation. It is an absolute treat to all the fish lovers out here and goes perfectly well with a bowl of steamed rice or roti.

Interested in more Kerala style fish recipes, check this out:

• Anchovy Fry/ നെത്തോലി നിറവ്
• Fish Fry / മീൻ വറുത്തത്
• Roasted Coconut Fish Curry / വറുത്തരച്ച മീൻ കറി
• Fish Curry with Coconut Milk /തേങ്ങാപാൽ ഒഴിച്ച മീൻ കറി
• Fish Molly / Kerala Style Fish Stew
• Fish Biriyani 

Enjoy, Happy Cooking!!!

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Red Fish Curry/Meen Mulakittathu

A Perfectly cooked Authentic Kerala Style Fish Curry in a Spicy n Tangy Red Gravy… it’s Easy, Delightful, and sooo Yummy…!!!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword fish curry, kerala

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• ½ kg fish (check notes)
• 1 cup pearl onions (sliced)
• 2 green chilies (slit)
• ½ inch sized ginger (crushed)
• 3 garlic (crushed)
• 2-3 kudampuli/gambooge/tamarind
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek powder
• 3 sprigs of curry leaves
• oil (as required)
• salt (as required)
• 1½ cup water

Instructions

• Clean and cut fish into medium sized pieces. Set aside.
• Soak tamarind in ½ cup hot water for 10 mins.
• Heat oil in a pan/clay pot, splutter mustard seed and add curry leaves and fenugreek seeds. Saute for one minute.
• Add crushed ginger & garlic, and saute till its raw smell subsides. Add sliced pearl onion along with green chilies and a little salt, saute well on a medium flame.
• When the onions turn translucent, add chili, coriander and turmeric powder, mix well and saute for another 2-3 minutes on low flame. Make sure not to brown the spices. Add tamarind, water and bring the curry to a boil on high heat.
• Add fish pieces and season with salt as needed. Close the pan with its lid, bring down the heat to medium and let the fish cook for 5 – 7 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and garnish with curry leaves, close the pan and allow the curry to rest for 20-30 minutes for the flavours to blend.
• Serve warm with steamed rice/roti/boiled tapioca.

Notes

1. Any firm or fleshy fishes like king fish, mackerel, sardines, golden pompano, pomfret, salmon, pearl spot, red snapper,tilapia, rohu, catla can be used.

2. Adjust your chili powder according to your spice level.

3. Coconut oil is ideal for all authentic Kerala recipes, but any neutral oil except for olive oil would do.

The post Red Fish Curry / Meen Mulakittathu appeared first on Pepper Delight.

Spicy, Tangy and Flavorful Kerala Style Fish Curry with Coconut Milk!

Fish… an integral comfort food of our diet and an inevitable part of the lives of the people of my hometown and the coastal regions of Kerala! Going back not too far in my memories, I still remember those days where we never had a day without a fish curry for lunch. I wish I could still have that… but times change, places change, and eventually my crazy craving too. Or I must say, being in a different country with limited varieties of good fish, and the new cuisines to explore and keep your taste buds busy, has made me control my cravings and be creative with the local produce available.

This fish curry with coconut milk is a spicier version when compared to a Fish Molee recipe, but lighter than a Red Fish Curry or maybe pretty close to it with an extra addition of coconut milk. Lots of ginger, garlic, and the tanginess from gamboge/kudampuli along with the coconut milk makes it a rich flavorful Fish Curry. The use of gamboge/kudampuli or Malabar tamarind is unique to all fish recipes from Kerala. Its tanginess is entirely different from the common tamarind and is difficult to find in other places… a Malayalee’s pride!

As you would have guessed, coconut milk is the highlight of this recipe. You can either use canned coconut milk or prepare it yourself by grinding grated coconut with a little water and then squeezing out the milk. I would recommend the freshly made milk as it gives a better flavor, color and aroma to your curry. And just like any other fish curries, a day after tastes excellent for this recipe too. It makes a wonderful combination with a bowl of steamed rice / roti / naan.

Interested in more Kerala style fish recipes, check this out:

• Anchovy Fry/ നെത്തോലി നിറവ്
• Fish Fry / മീൻ വറുത്തത്
• Roasted Coconut Fish Curry / വറുത്തരച്ച മീൻ കറി
• Fish Molly/ Kerala Style Fish Stew
• Red Fish Curry/മീൻ മുളകിട്ടത് 
• Fish Biriyani 

Enjoy, Happy Cooking!!!

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare. Rate us if you love it!

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Kerala Fish Curry with Coconut Milk

Spicy, Tangy and Flavorful Kerala Style Fish Curry with Coconut Milk! 

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword fish curry, kerala

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 3.5 lb/1.5 kg fish (check notes)
• 1 medium sized onion (sliced)
• 1 inch sized ginger (crushed)
• 3-4 pods of garlic (crushed)
• 2 green chilies (slit)
• 2-3 kudampuli / gamboge / tamarind
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 tsp coriander powder
• ¼ tsp fenugreek powder
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 1½ cup water +more (if needed)
• ¾ cup / 5.6 oz coconut milk
• coconut oil (as required)
• salt (as required)

Instructions

• Clean the fish and cut it into medium sized pieces. Keep it aside.
• Soak tamarind in a small bowl of hot water for 10 mins.
• To a pan (preferably a claypot / manchatti) add little oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add curry leaves, ginger, garlic and green chilies. Saute on a medium flame until its raw smell subsides.
• Add sliced onion with a little salt and saute until it becomes golden, do not let the onions to brown.
• Add red chili, coriander, turmeric powder and fenugreek powder to the pan and mix well. Add the soaked tamarind and saute for another 2- 3 minutes.
• Add water, salt, close the lid and set the flame at high. When the water starts to boil add the fish pieces and bring the flame to a medium. Place the lid and allow the fish to cook for another 5-10 mins.
• Add coconut milk and gently swirl the pan to mix it properly without breaking the fish. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
• Allow the curry to cook for another 5mins on a low flame, top with some coconut oil and curry leaves. Switch off the flame and let it covered and rest for 15-20 minutes.
• Serve warm with steamed rice / naan / roti / mashed tapioca.

Notes

1. Any firm or fleshy fishes like king fish, mackerel, sardines, golden pompano, pomfret, salmon, pearl spot, red snapper, tilapia, rohu, or catla can be used.

2. Adjust the amount of chili powder used according to your spice level.

3. Coconut oil is ideal for all authentic Kerala recipes, but any neutral oil except for olive oil would do.

The post Kerala Fish Curry with Coconut Milk appeared first on Pepper Delight.