നാടൻ മീൻ പൊള്ളിച്ചത് ||KeralaFish Pollichathu - Avoili Pollichathu-Recipe no 189

Ingredients
Fish -3medium
Shallots/small onion -500gm
or
Big Onion-4-5
Tomato-2 small
Coconut Oil-for frying
Aluminium Foil or banana leaves -3

For marination

Kashmiri Chilly Powder-1tsp
Chilli Powder-1tsp
Pepper powder-1/2tsp
Turmeric Powder-1/4tsp
Salt-to taste
Lemon Juice-1 tbsp

For Grinding

Green chilly-2
Kashmiri Chilly Powder-2tsp
Pepper Corns-1tsp
Ginger-1 medium Piece
Garlic-4 cloves
Curry leaves-1 spring
Coconut oil -1tsp

Method

Clean the fish and wash them with salt and lemon juice thoroughly .
Then make gashes on each side of the fish .
Now make a paste of chilly powders,turmeric powder,pepper powder,salt and lemon juice .
Marinate the fish with this paste and keep aside for at least 20 minutes .
Then heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the fish for 2 minutes in each side .

Now transfer the fish to a kitchen towel to remove excess oil .
Keep aside .
Now grind garlic,ginger,pepper,chilly powder,green chilly,curry leaves ,turmeric powder and coconut oil together by adding less amount of water and make a very fine paste .Keep aside this masala paste.
Now heat  2tsp of oil preferably the oil we used for frying the fish .
To this add onion .Saute for 1 minute .
Then saute till they become light brown colour .
At this stage add the masala paste and saute till the raw smell of the masala goes .
Then add finely chopped tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes are well cooked .
Cook for another 5 minutes in low flame .Check the salt .Remove from the fire and let it cool for 10 minutes.
Now take banana leaves and wash and wipe away the water.Cut into medium sized pieces .
Soften the leaves by putting over the flame for few seconds,so that the leaf wont break while wrapping.If u don’t have banana leaves u can use foil paper (but the taste differs !!)
Soften another small piece of banana leaf also..
Place the small one in the centre of the big one ..
Now  take 1 1/2 tbsp of masala and place in the centre of the leaf or foil paper.
Then place the fried fish above this masala and again place one layer of masala on top of the fish.

For garnishing place green chilly slits,1 tomato slice  and curry leaves and then wrap the fish tightly with banana leaf or foil paper .
If u r using banana leaf u can tie it with a thread .
Now take a heavy bottomed fry pan and heat 1 tsp of oil and place one piece of banana leaf and place  the wrapped fish on top of that .(If u are using foil paper,no need to add oil,just place the wrapped fish in the hot fry pan .)
Cook each side for 10 minutes in low flame.