Chef Suresh Pillai’s legendary fish nirvana recipe. Fish fried in spices and then poached in a banana leaf wrapped ginger coconut milk sauce.
Recipe with step by step pictures.
I am a great fan of Chef Suresh Pillai’s traditional Kerala style cooking. I have been wanting to try his fish nirvana recipe for a long time and it finally happened today. The spice marinated fish is first shallow fried and then poached in a coconut milk – ginger sauce. The fish is poached in a banana leaf so the flavour of the leaves and the aroma penetrates into the sauce. Coconut milk and ginger has a very unique flavour that we South Indians love so much. The sauce itself is very moreish. The traditional appa pan is used to poach the fish and that allows the banana leaf to take the curved shape. This dish is a refined version of meen pollichadhu. This is a very simple recipe and even beginners will be able to pull it off.
Here is my adaptation of Meen Nirvana.
I have used Pomfret for making this dish today. Pearl spot (Karimeen), Seer fish (Vanjaram steaks), Mackerel etc… works well for this recipe.
The recipe has two steps.
1. Shallow frying the fish
2. Poaching the fish in sauce.
Shallow frying the fish
Wash, clean and prep the fish. Make small gashes on the fish with a sharp knife so the masalas can penetrate and season the fish throughout. Be gentle and do not cut too deep. These cuts / crevices will hold the masalas later. So take time and make even cuts as possible. This is a very important step.
Take a plate and add in the turmeric, red chilli powder, black pepper powder and salt. Add in juice of a small lemon.
Add in a tablespoon of coconut oil and mix well to make a thick paste.
Apply the marinade on the fish. Make sure that the masalas are evenly coated. Apply masala in the gashes so the fish gets evenly seasoned. Marinate the fish in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan until hot. Gently place the fish in oil. Add in some curry leaves on top of the fish. Do not disturb or move the fish for the first two-three minutes. Let it cook. That’s the trick so the masalas will stick properly and wont separate. Cook the fish for 3 minutes on each side.
Note: Since we are cooking a whole fish, let the flame be medium low and not very hot as the masalas might burn before the fish can cook, if the flame is too hot. So go low on the flame and do not keep moving the fish.
In the mean time, Heat an appa pan / appa chatty or any kadai and place a big banana leaf on the pan. Add in the fried fish. Add in few sprigs of curry leaves and ginger.
Add in the coconut milk on the sides on the pan. Pour it only on the sides. First pressed coconut milk is needed for this recipe. I have used canned coconut milk today and it just works best. If you are in a hurry or a beginner, use readymade / canned coconut milk.
To the sides of the pan where the coconut milk is simmering, sprinkle black pepper powder, some ginger and slit green chillies. Add a pinch of salt to the sides. Let the fish poach in the sauce for 3-4 minutes on a low-medium flame.
Finally, add a teaspoon of coconut oil for aroma. The fish is ready to serve. Repeat the same procedure with the other fish steaks. This recipe produces four portions.
Amazing Fish Nirvana is ready. Serve with Appam, idiyappam, Parotta or matta rice.
- 4 Pomfret fish or any firm fish
- 1.5 tablespoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Juice of a small lemon or lime
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil to shallow fry the fish
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 2 banana leaves, cut in half (4 pieces)
- 3-4 sprigs curry leaves
- 1.5 inch piece ginger, minced
- 1.5 cup thick coconut milk (use ⅓ cup milk for one fish)
- 2 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 8 green chillies, slit
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoon coconut oil
- Wash, clean and prep the fish. Make small gashes on the fish with a sharp knife so the masalas can penetrate and season the fish throughout.
- Take a plate and add in the turmeric, red chilli powder, black pepper powder and salt. Add in juice of a small lemon.
- Add in a tablespoon of coconut oil and mix well to make a thick paste.
- Apply the marinade on the fish. Make sure that the masalas are evenly coated. Apply masala in the gashes so the fish gets evenly seasoned. Marinate the fish in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pan until hot. Gently place the fish in oil. Add in some curry leaves on top of the fish. Do not disturb or move the fish for the first two-three minutes. Let it cook. That’s the trick so the masalas will stick properly and wont separate. Cook the fish for 3 minutes on each side.
- In the mean time, Heat an appa pan / appa chatty or any kadai and place a big banana leaf on the pan. Add in the fried fish. Add in few sprigs of curry leaves and ginger.
- Add in the coconut milk on the sides on the pan. Pour it only on the sides. First pressed coconut milk is needed for this recipe. I have used canned coconut milk today and it just works best. If you are in a hurry or a beginner, use readymade / canned coconut milk.
- To the sides of the pan where the coconut milk is simmering, sprinkle black pepper powder, some ginger and slit green chillies. Add a pinch of salt to the sides. Let the fish poach in the sauce for 3-4 minutes on a low-medium flame.
- Finally, add a teaspoon of coconut oil for aroma.
- Amazing Fish Nirvana is ready. Serve with Appam, idiyappam, Parotta or matta rice.
For every fish we have to repeat the poaching process???thanks in advance.
Yes. thats the whole idea 🙂