FOOD TALK
A whiff of Malabar

Kerala is the land of aromatic spices and seafood beyond compare. It's not that the vegetarian repertoire in the land of kathakali and kalripayattu leaves much to be desired — just recall the subtle delights of aviyal and prathaman or poot and kadala kari, but we digress. What kindled memories of the homeland of Malayali friends and brought a whiff of the winds of Malabar into our kitchen was our beloved son trying his hand at meen verthatu. Translated, this means fried fish. There are not one not two but many recipes for this dish and we are not including in this list polichattus —fish fried/ pan grilled after wrapping it in banana leaf. We share the joys of the simplest of these with our readers this time.

Ingredients

Fish (preferably firm, boneless fillets) 450 g

Fresh ginger (scraped, washed, grated and ground to paste) 3-inch piece

Meen Verthatu

Fenugreek seeds 1 tsp

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Cumin powder 1 tsp

Red chilly powder 1-1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

White Vinegar 1 tsp

Oil 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Sprinkler: (Optional)

Black peppercorn powder 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon powder 1/4 tsp

Clove powder 1/4 tsp

Method

Wash and pat dry the fish. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle it over with fenugreek seeds, all the powdered spices along with ginger paste, salt and vinegar. Rub with a very light hand to coat evenly on both sides. Let the fish rest in this marinade for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan and when it reaches smoking point lower the flame to medium and add fish pieces. Fry till golden brown on both sides. If you wish to have a lighter meal, pan grill on a non-stick pan lined with a thin film of oil — about two minutes on both sides. Adjust seasoning, drizzle the sprinkler spices and serve with wedges of lime and finely chopped green chillies.

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