Fish marinated in spicy, tangy sauce and cooked in banana leaf is a special preparation in Kerala and it’s considered to be a delicacy.
Here I’m using a pearl spot fish (Karimeen).This fish can be found in fresh waters of Srilanka and Kerala. If it’s not available where you stay, you can use red mullet as well.
Here I’ve not fillet the fish, but if you want you can fillet the fish and sandwich some masala in between the fillets, cook it wrapped in banana leaf or in baking paper. Its a spicy and tangy dish which can be prepared ahead of time. It can stay in room temperature for up to 5hrs.
You will need a banana leaf for this preparation to get an authentic flavour and taste. If you don’t have a banana leaf you can use parchment paper. Avoid using foil paper as we’re adding vinegar to this dish.
Prep time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 20 mts
Serves : 4
Ingredients for marination :
- Chilli powder – 1/4 tsp
- Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
- Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
- Black pepper powder – 1/4 tsp
Marinate the fish with these ingredients and keep it in the fridge for atleast an hour. You can keep it overnight.
Ingredients for the masala:
- Fish – 500 g (cleaned, whole or fillet)
- Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
- Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
- Curry leaves – 4 stems
- Onion – 2 medium (diced) / small shallots are the best – 1/2 cup
- Ginger – 2″ (julienne)
- Garlic – 7 (julienne)
- Tomato – 2 cubed
- Green chillies – 3 (slit in the middle)
- White vinegar – 1/4 cup
- Oil – 2 tsp (coconut oil is best if not any non flavoured oil will do)
- Salt – ~1/2 tsp
Spice mix :
- Chilli powder / paprika – 1 tsp ( adjust the heat according to your taste)
- Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
- Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
- Fenugreek powder – 1/8 tsp (optional)
Method :
- To prep the banana leaf, wash and clean the leaf.
- Switch on the fire and keep the leaf on top of the fire without fully touching the flame.
- You’ll see that the leaf starts to change its colour, this will make the leaf playable and not to break while wrapping the fish.
- Heat a pan and add oil to it.
- Add mustard and cumin seeds and allow it to splutter.
- Add in the curry leaves and ginger and garlic and saute for a minute.
- Add in the onions and green chillies and allow it to soften.
- Lower the fire and add in the spice mix and saute for few seconds.
- Now you can add tomatoes and salt and allow the tomatoes to soften and blend to make a masala.
- When everything is well done add in the vinegar and cook for a few seconds.
- When the masala is well combined, it should not be watery, switch off the gas.
- Allow the masala to cool down slightly.
- If you’re using whole fish spread the masala on top and bottom and the stomach cavity of the fish and wrap it in banana leaf. And if you’re using fillet, spread a table spoon of masala on the banana leaf and keep one piece of fillet on top of it. Spread another layer of masala on top of the fish and cover it again with masala and wrap it with the leaf.
- Keep a flat pan to heat and place this wrapped fish on th pan and cover it with a lid. Keep the heat at medium otherwise the leaf will burn fast and the fish will not be cooked properly.
- After 8 to 10 mts slowly turn and fish and cook the other side.
- It’ll take only 15 to 20 mts to cook the fish if you cook it for longer it will become dry.
- Enjoy with cooked rice ! 🙂
- For margination
- Chilli powder - ¼ tsp
- Coriander powder - ½ tsp
- Turmeric powder - ⅛ tsp
- Black pepper powder - ¼ tsp
- Marinate the fish with these ingredients and keep it in the fridge for at least an hour. You can keep it overnight.
- For the masala
- Fish - 500 g (cleaned, whole or fillet)
- Mustard seeds - ¼ tsp
- Cumin seeds - ¼ tsp
- Curry leaves - 4 stems
- Onion - 2 medium (diced) / small shallots are the best - ½ cup
- Ginger - 2" (julienne)
- Garlic - 7 (julienne)
- Tomato - 2 cubed
- Green chillies - 3 (slit in the middle)
- White vinegar - ¼ cup
- Oil - 2 tsp (coconut oil is best if not any non flavoured oil will do)
- Salt - ~1/2 tsp
- Spice mix :
- Chilli powder / paprika - 1 tsp
- Coriander powder - ½ tsp
- Turmeric powder - ⅛ tsp
- Fenugreek powder - ⅛ tsp (optional)
- To prep the banana leaf, wash and clean the leaf.
- Switch on the fire and keep the leaf on top of the fire without fully touching the flame.
- You'll see that the leaf starts to change its colour, this will make the leaf playable and not to break while wrapping the fish.
- Heat a pan and add oil to it.
- Add mustard and cumin seeds and allow it to splutter.
- Add in the curry leaves and ginger and garlic and saute for a minute.
- Add in the onions and green chillies and allow it to soften.
- Lower the fire and add in the spice mix and saute for few seconds.
- Now you can add tomatoes and salt and allow the tomatoes to soften and blend to make a masala.
- When everything is well done add in the vinegar and cook for a few seconds.
- When the masala is well combined, it should not be watery, switch off the gas.
- Allow the masala to cool down slightly.
- If you're using whole fish spread the masala on top and bottom and the stomach cavity of the fish and wrap it in banana leaf. And if you're using fillet, spread a table spoon of masala on the banana leaf and keep one piece of fillet on top of it. Spread another layer of masala on top of the fish and cover it again with masala and wrap it with the leaf.
- Keep a flat pan to heat and place this wrapped fish on th pan and cover it with a lid. Keep the heat at medium otherwise the leaf will burn fast and the fish will not be cooked properly.
- After 8 to 10 mts slowly turn and fish and cook the other side.
- It'll take only 15 to 20 mts to cook the fish if you cook it for longer it will become dry.
- Enjoy with cooked rice ! 🙂
Felix Meyer
July 9, 2024 — 11:13 am
Great job site admin! You have made it look so easy talking about that topic, providing your readers some vital information. I would love to see more helpful articles like this, so please keep posting! I also have great posts about Social Media Marketing, check out my weblog at Webemail24
Seoranko
July 9, 2024 — 7:28 pm
An excellent read that will keep readers – particularly me – coming back for more! Also, I’d genuinely appreciate if you check my website Seoranko about Data Mining. Thank you and best of luck!
Autoprofi
July 9, 2024 — 9:33 pm
Your blog has really piqued my interest on this topic. Feel free to drop by my website Autoprofi about Accident Car Purchase.
Articlecity
July 10, 2024 — 3:09 pm
This was a delight to read. You show an impressive grasp on this subject! I specialize about Roofing and you can see my posts here at my blog Articlecity Keep up the incredible work!
Articleworld
July 11, 2024 — 3:45 pm
Informative articles, excellent work site admin! If you’d like more information about Website Traffic, drop by my site at Articleworld Cheers to creating useful content on the web!
Article Sphere
July 13, 2024 — 2:14 pm
Hey there, I appreciate you posting great content covering that topic with full attention to details and providing updated data. I believe it is my turn to give back, check out my website Article Sphere for additional resources about Search Engine Optimization.