A meal at a tiny native restaurant in Siem Reap, Cambodia, a number of years in the past made me rediscover a dish from Kerala. Years in the past, I attempted Fish Amok, one in every of Cambodia’s emblematic dishes. Fish Amok is believed to have originated from the royal kitchens of the Khmer Empire (which dominated from the ninth to the fifteenth Century). There’s additionally a concept that this dish didn’t originate in Cambodia and might need come from one other a part of Asia. A number of weeks in the past, I used to be at 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. Fish Amok is normally ready with catfish. The fish fillets are rubbed with 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.
Also Read: 13 Best Indian Fish Curries You Must Try 

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 parts, 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 not often 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 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.
Also Read: 11 Most Cooked Grilled Fish Recipes | Popular Fish Recipes

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 cook 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 steamed Fish Amok. You can do that scrumptious recipe at residence:

Meen Manga Pothi Recipe | How To Make 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:

1. Marinate the fish with salt, ginger-garlic paste, and turmeric powder and put aside.
2. Mix roughly chopped shallots, curry leaves, inexperienced chillies, uncooked mango, and coconut oil. Add this to the fish.
3. Set this marinated fish apart within the fridge for half-hour.
4. 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.
5. Take the fish out of the fridge and thoroughly wrap it within the banana leaf, securing the open edges with a toothpick.
6. Grill this packet (pothi) on a scorching grill for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn it over and proceed to cook dinner for 3 minutes.
7. Serve the closed pothi, to be unwrapped on the desk, with a garnish of curry leaves.

About Ashwin RajagopalanI’m the proverbial slashie – a content material architect, author, speaker and cultural intelligence coach. School lunch packing containers are normally the start of our culinary discoveries.That curiosity hasn’t waned. It’s solely received stronger as I’ve explored culinary cultures, avenue meals and fantastic eating eating places the world over. I’ve found cultures and locations by culinary motifs. I’m equally keen about writing on client tech and journey.