It was a meal at a tiny native restaurant in Siem Reap, Cambodia, a couple of years in the past that made me rediscover a dish from Kerala. Years in the past, I attempted Fish Amok, certainly one of Cambodia’s emblematic dishes. The Fish Amok is believed to have been a dish from the royal kitchens of the Khmer empire (which dominated from the ninth to the fifteenth Century). There’s additionally a idea that this dish didn’t originate in Cambodia and might need come from one other a part of Asia.

A couple of weeks in the past, I used to be on the O by Tamara Trivandrum the place one of many highlights of my meal was a Meen manga pothi. Mahi-mahi fish steamed in a banana leaf with a flavorful twist of uncooked mango. It was greater than only a dish; it was a dish that introduced again recollections of fabulous meals in Kerala and Southeast Asia. The Fish Amok is often ready with catfish. The fish fillets are rubbed with a kroeung (a standard Khmer spice paste) after which positioned in leaves and steamed for not less than 20 minutes till they attain a clean, mousse-like consistency. It’s not simply fish; different variations are made with meat or tofu.

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Chef Suresh Kumar, the Executive Chef at O by Tamara Trivandrum, sought inspiration for the Meen Manga pothi (see recipe) from his childhood meals. Like many residents of Kerala, he remembers the pothichoru, a packed meal in a banana leaf. At a time when storage jars and aluminium foil weren’t a factor, most travellers would carry a full meal tightly wrapped in a banana leaf. A meal that would come with a number of components, together with a fish preparation, a thoran (or stir-fried vegetable like cabbage), rice, and a meat dish. While it was all packed in a single leaf, they hardly ever blended up till the leaf was opened hours later.

Steamed fish in a banana leaf is a well-liked delicacy in Kerala. The Meen pollichathu is among the best-known seafood dishes from the state. Traditionally, that is made with pearl spot fish or karimeen – it is why the dish can also be known as a karimeen pollichatu. Pollichathu refers to fried. In this preparation, the fish is marinated after which fried earlier than it is wrapped in a banana leaf after which cooked on a low flame.

Pothi means packed in Malayalam, and Kerala’s famed Pothichoru or a packed meal in a banana leaf is one well-known model. The pothi can also be used to prepare dinner marinated fish over a grill, the place the banana leaf acts as a cooking vessel and infuses the fish with its aromas and flavours. According to Chef Suresh Kumar, Manga (mango) brings the flavours of summer season to this fish dish – a wedding of the King of Fruits and the bounty of the ocean that Kerala is legendary for. This is a more healthy model of the pollichathu that doesn’t contain a frying course of. In that sense, it is nearer to the Fish Amok that is steamed. You can do that scrumptious recipe at dwelling:

Recipe – Meen Manga Pothi

Recipe Courtesy – Suresh Kumar, Executive Chef, O by Tamara, Trivandrum

Ingredients:

• Mahi Mahi Fillet – 170 gm
• Raw mango (peeled) – 50 gm
• Curry leaves – 20 gm
• Turmeric powder – 10 gm
• Green chillies – 20 gm
• Peeled shallots – 30 gm
• Ginger garlic paste – 20 gm
• Salt to style
• Coconut oil – 50 ml
• Banana leaf – 1

Method:

• Marinate the fish with salt, ginger garlic paste, and turmeric powder and put aside.
• Mix roughly chopped shallots, curry leaves, inexperienced chillies, uncooked mango, and coconut oil. Add this to the fish.
• Set this marinated fish apart within the fridge for half-hour.
• To prep the banana leaf, run the central vein of the leaf gently over an open flame. This helps launch aromas into the fish and makes the leaf pliable to wrap the fish.
• Take the fish out of the fridge and thoroughly wrap it within the banana leaf, securing the open edges with a toothpick.
• Grill this packet (pothi) on a sizzling grill for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn it over and proceed to prepare dinner for 3 minutes. Serve the closed pothi, to be unwrapped on the desk, with a garnish of curry leaves.

Also Read: 4 Cities In Kerala Every Food Enthusiast Needs To Explore

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About Ashwin RajagopalanI’m the proverbial slashie – a content material architect, author, speaker and cultural intelligence coach. School lunch containers are often the start of our culinary discoveries.That curiosity hasn’t waned. It’s solely bought stronger as I’ve explored culinary cultures, avenue meals and high quality eating eating places the world over. I’ve found cultures and locations by means of culinary motifs. I’m equally captivated with writing on shopper tech and journey.