Fish Molee

Fish Molee (Fish in Coconut Milk) ഫിഷ്‌ മോളി

This is a typical Kerala dish which is very simple and yet mouth-wateringly delicious. This is not spicy and so even children will enjoy this. This goes extremely well with appam, white bread and rice. If you search the internet for this recipe you will find at least 4-5 different variations of the same recipe. I have tried most of them and also the method that my father uses to cook this. I am describing below the basic recipe which in itself is complete. I shall also explain the variations you could try. After all, cooking is about being creative and finding a taste that you like most. So try the different variations and settle down for what you like most.

I was not able to find out how this dish got its unique name.

Ingredients

1. Fish Fillets - 500 gm. You can use fish fillets or a whole fish like a pomfret (silver or black) or a pearlspot (karimeen) etc. Use any fish with white flesh (preferably sea water fish) without a very strong flavour of its own. In the above dish I have used Basa fish fillets.
2. Onion - 1 cup. Two large onions thickly sliced.
3. Ginger - 1 tablespoon. Cut into thin juliennes and slightly crushed.
4. Garlic - 10 cloves. Cleaned and slightly crushed.
5. Green Chilly - 3 No. Slit lengthwise and deseeded. Use more green chilly if you want to make this spicy.
6. Curry Leaf - 1 sprig.
7. Tomato - 1 No. 1 large tomato cut into 8 wedges.
8. Turmeric Powder - ¼ teaspoon.
9. Vegetable Oil - 2 tablespoon. Use coconut oil for more authentic taste
10. Thin Coconut Milk - 200 ml. Second extract of coconut milk if you make this yourself.
11. Thick Coconut Milk - 100 ml. First extract of coconut milk if you make this yourself.
12. Salt To Taste

Method

• Heat the oil in a flat pan. Tha pan should be big enough to accomodate the whole fish. If you are using fish fillets, the pan should be able to hold all the fillets in one single layer.
• Add ginger, garlic, green chillies, onion and curry leaves in that order and saute them till the onion turns translucent. After adding each ingredient wait for 5-6 seconds before adding the next one.
• Add turmeric powder and saute for a few seconds more
• Lower the heat and add the thin coconut milk. Add this slowly and if required remove the pan from the fire while doing this. Make sure not to curdle the milk.
• Add salt as per taste and then bring the gravy to a boil and then lower the heat.
• Add the fish in one single layer in the pan.
• Add the tomato slices
• Pour the gravy over the fish using a spoon and then cover and cook it for 3 minutes on low heat. Do not stir the dish. You may gently shake the pan or keep pouring the coconut milk over the fish pieces every now and then. You can also turn the fish over after about 3 minutes taking care not to break the fish into pieces.
• Add the thick coconut milk and mix it well by gently moving the pan in a circular motion. Let it stand for a minute and then remove from fire.
• Garnish with curry leaves and slit green chillies.

Recipe Variations

• You can marinate the fish pieces with a little bit of salt, turmeric and chilly powder and then shallow fry the fish on both the sides, until it is half done. And then add this fish to the gravy.
• You can cut the onions to square pieces of about 1 cm x 1 cm in size
• You can cut the tomato across its length into thick slices.
• You can add two 1" cinnamon sticks and two green cardamoms into the oil before adding anything else.
• You can add 1 teaspoon of vinegar as seasoning before taking the dish out.
• You can also add half a teaspoon of black pepper powder along with the turmeric powder.

Notes

• This dish should have thick gravy once finished. Therefore add just enough thin coconut milk to cook the fish. You can also add ground cashew nut paste to make the gravy thick or add corn flour mixed with a little coconut milk or a little bit of rice flour mixed in coconut milk. Any such neutral thickening agent can be added.
• It would be a good idea to apply a little salt to the fish and keep it aside for about 15 minutes. This way the fish will absorb enough salt making it tastier. If you follow this, make sure not to add excess salt into the dish while cooking.
• It is a good idea to prepare this dish in advance. Give the fish pieces at least an hour to absorb all the taste.
• While making the coconut milk, use warm water instead of cold water. After adding the water, knead the coconut gratings for a few minutes before squeezing out the milk.