Delicious Fish Molee To Serve With Palappam

Fish Molee is a unique Kerala Fish Recipe which has coconut milk as the main ingredient and is not spicy. Try it with Palappam.

Fish Molee

Ingredients

Boneless and Skinless Fish fillets – 10 to 12 pieces ( King Fish and Tilapia used in this recipe)
Cinnamon Sticks (Patta) – 2 half inch pieces
Cardamom (Elakka) – 2
Fennel Seeds (Perum Jeerakam) – 1/2 tsp
Sliced Onion – 1 big
Slit Green Chillies – 4 or 5 (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
Chopped Ginger – 2 tsp
Chopped Garlic – 4 cloves
Sliced Tomatoes -1 medium
Curry Leaves – A sprig
Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper Powder – 1 tsp
Fresh Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)
Thin Coconut Milk – 2 Cups
Thick Coconut Milk – 1 Cup
Vinegar – 1 tsp
Oil – 2 tbsp
Salt – to taste

For Marinade

Method

Marinate the fish fillets using the above ingredients and keep it aside for half an hour.
Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the fish fillets lightly. Do not wait for the fillets to brown. It should be fried very lightly around 50%. Remove the fillets from oil and keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in another wok. Add the cinnamon sticks, cardamom and fennel seeds and saute for a minute.
Next, add the sliced onions and saute till translucent.
Add the slit green chillies, thinly sliced ginger and garlic pieces and saute for a few minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes and saute well until pulpy.
Next add 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp pepper powder, 1/2 tsp red chilly powder, 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder and stir-fry for a minute.
Pour 2 cups of thin coconut milk along with some salt. Simmer the coconut milk for 5 minutes but do not boil it.
When the coconut milk is hot, add the lightly fried fish fillets and cook covered on medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes till the gravy starts to thicken. Be careful not to boil the gravy or else the coconut milk can separate.
Finally, pour 1 cup of thick coconut milk and simmer for another 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle 1 tsp of vinegar. Garnish with more curry leaves.