This is one of the favourite dishes of every fish lovers. It is a creamy rich, mildly spiced and flavoured fish stew with coconut milk. This popular dish of Kerala is usually served with Appam or bread. The story of this dish goes way back to Portuguese colonization of India when Kerala was one of their major trading ports. Kerala was abundant with spices, coconut and sea food. The local people who worked for them modified the spicy fish curry by adding coconut milk to cater to the taste of Portuguese men who in turn named the dish after the lady, Molly, who prepared it.
Ingredients
1. Fish – 500 gm (preferably king fish, pomfret etc)
2. Onions – 2 sliced
3. Ginger garlic crushed – 2 Tbsp
4. Green chillies – 3-4
5. Shallots – 5 (optional)
6. Cardamom – 4
7. Cloves – 4
8. Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
9. Tomato sliced – 2
10. Pepper powder – 1 tsp
11. Curry leaves
12. Salt
13. Thin coconut milk – 2 cups
14. Thick coconut milk – 1 cup
15. Coconut oil – 2 Tbsp
For marination
1. Lemon juice – 1 Tbsp
2. Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
3. Pepper powder – 1 tsp
4. Salt
Preparation
1. Clean and cut fish into pieces and marinate with lemon juice, turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan and shallow fry the fish lightly on high flame. Keep aside the fried fish.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in the same pan on medium flame. Add the crushed spices (cardamom, cloves and cinnamon) and curry leaves, ginger garlic, green chillies, onions and shallots. Sauté for a minute until the raw smell subsides and the onions become soft.
4. Add pepper powder and the thin coconut milk. Let it boil for 3-4 minutes on medium flame.
5. Add the fried fish pieces and salt. Cook covered on high flame for 5 minutes or till the gravy becomes slightly thick.
6. Add sliced tomatoes and curry leaves. Rotate the pan to mix the gravy.
7. Add the thick coconut milk and cook on low flame for 2 minutes and remove the pan from flame before it boils. Keep it covered for another 5-10 minutes before serving.
Tips
1. In you prefer thicker gravy then add 1 tsp of corn flour mixed in ¼th cup of water before the thick coconut milk is added.
2. If extra tanginess is preferred then add1 tsp of lemon juice or vinegar to the boiling thin coconut milk.
3. Once fish is added do not stir instead rotate the pan for mixing.
4. Coconut oil gives the authentic taste to the dish.
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