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Meen Pollichathu – Fish cooked in banana leaves

August 21, 2016 by Suguna Vinodh 16 Comments

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meen-pollichathu

kerala-meen-pollichathu-recipe-pic

Meen Pollichathu – Kerala style Meen Pollichathu cooked in coconut oil covered with banana leaves – vazhayila. Traditionally done with karimeen – pearl spot fish. Anthony Bourdain during his trip to Kerala compared the technique of cooking the fish in banana leaf to the classic french technique of fish en papillote (fish steamed in parchment pouches). The flavor penetrates well into the fish and the aroma of banana leaf is divine. This is one of the very classic preparation that everyone loves.

First, lets marinate the fish briefly. I don’t get karimeen – pearl spot fish here. You can use a good thick cut of fish and it works just fine. Sprinkle salt, turmeric and chilli powder on both sides of the fish and spread it evenly all over the meat. Marinate the fish for 10 minutes. Set aside.

kerala-meen-pollichathu-marinate

Fry the fish in a tablespoon of coconut oil. Fry for one to two minutes on each side. The fish might take more time to cook if its thick. I just cooked for a minute on each side. We will again cook it in banana leaf. So do not over cook the fish else the fish will become hard and dry. Use your own judgement. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate to cool.

kerala-meen-pollichathu-roast

Now lets make the masala. Traditionally, Indian shallots (small onions) are used for making the masala. Onions can be used too!
Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the chopped onions, curry leaves and crushed ginger. Fry till the onions are soft and starting to brown.

kerala-meen-pollichathu-masala

Add in the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt. Fry till the tomatoes are cooked and juicy.
Add in the fresh shredded coconut and coriander leaves. Remove from heat and mix well to combine. Set aside.

kerala-meen-pollichathu-coconut

Lets get the banana leaves ready for wrapping. The banana leaves need to be wilted. Using the raw leaf would likely tear when folded. To avoid this problem, it needs to be wilted on fire. Run the banana leaf on fire for 2-3 seconds. The leaf would have become soft. Set aside. Just mere seconds is good enough. Do not show the leaf on fire for a long time. It might burn.

kerala-meen-pollichathu-banana-leaf

kerala-meen-pollichathu-leaf

Take a big piece of wilted banana leaf and add in two tablespoon of the prepared masala in the center. Add a piece of the fried fish and cover the fish with two tablespoon of masala.

kerala-meen-pollichathu-fill

Fold the banana leaf to make a small packet. Fold from both the sides.

kerala-meen-pollichathu-fold

Fold again on the top and bottom. Place it seam side down so it does not open. Repeat with all the fish pieces. Set aside.

kerala-meen-pollichathu-fold-leaf

Place the prepared pockets on a pan and cook for 5 minutes on a low flame, seam side down first. Cover the pan with a lid and cook.The flavor of the banana leaf will penetrate well on a covered pan.

kerala-meen-pollichathu-cook

Turn the pockets and cook again for five minutes. Cover with a lid and cook.

kerala-meen-pollichathu-turn

Remove from heat and serve with lime / lemon wedges. This dish is traditionally served as is or accompanied with Kerala matta rice.

kerala-meen-pollichathu

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kerala-meen-pollichathu-recipe

Meen Pollichathu – Fish cooked in banana leaves


★★★★★

4.8 from 5 reviews

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Total Time: 40 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Description

Meen Pollichathu – Kerala style Meen Pollichathu in coconut oil covered in banana leaves – vazhayila. Traditionally done with karimeen – pearl spot fish.


Ingredients

Scale

For Frying Fish

  • 4 slices of fish filet
  • 1 teaspoon chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

For the masala

  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 20 shallots or 2 onions, chopped
  • 3 sprigs curry leaves
  • 1 inch piece ginger, minced
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sprigs coriander leaves
  • 2 tablespoon fresh shredded coconut

Other ingredients

  • 4–5 foot banana leaf
  • 4–5 lime / lemon wedges

Instructions

For Frying Fish

  1. Sprinkle salt, turmeric and chilli powder on both sides of the fish and spread it evenly all over the meat. Marinate the fish for 10 minutes. Set aside.
  2. Fry the fish in a tablespoon of coconut oil. Fry for one minute on each side. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate to cool.

For the Masala

  1. Heat coconut oil in a pan and add in the chopped onions, curry leaves and crushed ginger. Fry till the onions are soft and starting to brown.
  2. Add in the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and salt. Fry till the tomatoes are cooked and juicy.
  3. Add in the fresh shredded coconut and coriander leaves. Remove from heat and mix well to combine. Set aside.

Cooking the fish in banana leaves

  1. Run the banana leaf on fire for 2-3 seconds. The leaf would have become soft. Set aside.
  2. Take a big piece of wilted banana leaf and add in two tablespoon of the prepared masala in the center. Add a piece of the fried fish and cover the fish with two tablespoon of masala.
  3. Fold the banana leaf to make a small packet. Place it seam side down so it does not open. Repeat with all the fish pieces. Set aside.
  4. Place the prepared pockets on a pan and cook for 5 minutes on a low flame, seam side down first. Cover the pan with a lid and cook. Turn the pockets and cook again for five minutes. Cover with a lid and cook.
  5. Remove from heat and serve with lime / lemon wedges.
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Kerala

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Suguna Vinodh

I'm Suguna Vinodh aka Kannamma. I love south Indian food and I am passionate about baking. My Favorite things include my Wusthof knife, Coffee, Ilayaraja, Tamil and beaches. I love Jacques Pepin and Julia Child.

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Comments

  1. Anjali says

    November 11, 2020 at 1:50 am

    Which fish is best to use?

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      November 17, 2020 at 11:59 am

      Traditionally pearl spot – karimeen is used. Pomfret / seer fish works well too.

      Reply
  2. Amritha says

    July 22, 2020 at 3:59 pm

    Tried…it for my lunch…it came out so well….enjoyed…

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      July 22, 2020 at 5:27 pm

      Thank you so much.

      Reply
  3. Suganya Narayanaswamy says

    April 18, 2020 at 11:51 am

    Is there an alternative for banana leaf? Never seen a banana leaf in US. Thanks.

    Reply
  4. Vaiselvaraj says

    November 24, 2018 at 4:11 pm

    Want this recipe video
    Share your youtube channel link

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. CMP says

    June 15, 2018 at 11:12 am

    @chv you can use paneer instead of fish..

    ★★★★

    Reply
  6. chv says

    May 20, 2017 at 5:42 pm

    What can be used instead of fish for vegetarian?

    Reply
  7. Chv says

    May 19, 2017 at 7:58 pm

    What can be used instead of fish in this recipe for vegetarians?

    Reply
  8. Hema says

    April 2, 2017 at 6:00 pm

    My 1.5 yr kid loved this 🙂 it came out really excellent .. thank you.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      April 3, 2017 at 2:16 pm

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  9. Raji says

    October 12, 2016 at 7:26 am

    I tried it today.I enjoyed the taste of the fish in banana leaf.I drove 30 minutes to buy the banana leaf and it’s worth for this recipe.

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      October 12, 2016 at 9:54 am

      Thank you so much Raji. Really glad you liked it.

      Reply
  10. Lavanya says

    August 22, 2016 at 12:57 am

    Hi Mam
    What kinda fish dos you used?

    Reply
    • Suguna Vinodh says

      August 22, 2016 at 10:11 am

      I used a local fish you get here in Hong Kong Lavanya. Sorry I do not know the name:)

      Reply
  11. Raji says

    August 21, 2016 at 11:09 pm

    Excellent.I am going to try this today.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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I’m Suguna, a former financial analyst, now a full-time food blogger. Welcome to my space. I share recipes gathered from my friends and family here. I am passionate about South Indian food. I crazy love knives. A sharp knife is a girls best friend. Hope you like the recipes here. Happy Cooking. Read more.....

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