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Meen Pollichathu (Fish Cooked in Banana Leaf)

Meen Pollichathu (Fish Cooked in Banana Leaf) is a traditional Indian recipe (from Kerala) for a dish of curry-spiced fish cooked in banana leaves. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Indian version of: Fish Cooked in Banana Leaf (Meen Pollichathu).

prep time

10 minutes

cook time

10 minutes

Total Time:

20 minutes

Serves:

2

Rating:

Tags : CurrySpice RecipesIndian Recipes

This is one of the most iconic dishes from Kerala in India. Having a banana plant in the garden I’m on the look-out for recipes that use different parts of the plant in my cooking. As it’s the season to trim the plant now, I have an excess of leaves so look out for a number of recipes that use banana leaves as a means of cooking. Frozen banana leaf is much more readily available these days from Asian supermarkets. However, at a pinch you could substitute greaseproof (waxed) paper wrapped in kitchen foil as a substitute. The other reason I like this dish is that it’s super quick to make, but still makes an impressive table centrepiece. The traditional fish for this recipe is pearl spot (also known as green chromide), a chichlid Etroplus suratensis. Tilapia would be the natural substitute, but you could also use pomfret, black bream, barramundi or even salmon, at a pinch.

Ingredients:

For the Fish:
2 whole pearlspot (karimeen) or tilapia, cleaned and scaled
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp crushed black peppercorns
1 tsp red chilli powder
Juice of half of 1 lemon
1 tsp oil (coconut oil preferred)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil, to fry fish (coconut oil preferred)

For the Masala:
1 tbsp oil (coconut oil preferred)
10 shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3cm (1 in) piece of fresh ginger, chopped
1 large green chilli, slit
1 sprig of curry leaves
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste

To Finish:
2 banana leaves
Banana string or twine, to tie the fish parcels
2 tbsp oil (coconut oil for preference)

Method:

Clean the fish, remove the heads, trim the tail and fins then make two deep diagonal slits on both sides of the fish (this will help the spices penetrate and allows the fish to cook more evenly. Sit on a plate and set aside until needed.

For the marinade, combine the ground turmeric, crushed black peppercorns, red chilli powder, oil and lemon juice in a large bowl. Season with salt then add fish. Use your hands to coat the fish in the masala. Arrange in a dish, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Add a glug of oil to a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the fish and fry for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until the fish is nicely browned all over. Drain on kitchen paper then set aside until needed.

For the masala, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and fry, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Now add the ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Fry, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and continue frying, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes or until they become soft and mushy. Stir in the ground turmeric, ground coriander and red chilli powder. Season with salt and continue frying, stirring, for a few seconds.

At this point, add a little water to get semi solid consistency. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes or until the sauce gets a semi-solid consistency. Take off the heat and set aside.

If you are using a fresh banana leaf, then trim the stem and hold it over a flame (a gas hob is good) until it wilts and turns soft. It using frozen, simply allow to thaw completely.

Take your first banana leaf and place it on your work surface. Place 1 tbsp masala in the centre of the leaf. Sit a fish on the masala then add more masala on top of the fish. Fold the leaf to cover the fish, forming a parcel. Secure with twine or banana string aside. Repeat with the other fish.

To finish the meen pollichathu, heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the fish parcels in the pan then cook, covered, for about 5-6 minutes, turning once, until fish is cooked through.

Sit the parcels on plates, unwrap to expose the fish and serve.