Karimeen (Pearl Spot Fish) Pollichathu

Karimeen (Pearl Spot Fish) Pollichathu

Karimeen (Pearl Spot Fish) - 3

***Clean this with salt and vinegar first and then clean again with flour to get rid of all impurities

Heat Oil (3-4 Tbsp) in a non stick pan.

Onion - 3/4 kg
Garlic -  a cup
Ginger - 1/2 to 3/4 cup
Green Chillies - accordingly
Curry Leaves - 1 stalk

Saute the above

Tomato -  4 to 5 medium sized ones

Add tomato the the pan

Tumeric - 1 to 3 tsp
Chilli powder - to color if you are using lots of green chillies. Otherwise, add 1 Tbsp and check if you need more
Black Pepper - as required

Add the above 3 spices and mix well.

Add Salt - as required

If you feel the mixture is not sour enough, you can add a little vinegar as well.

Once the masala is well cooked, turn off the heat.

Now, you need to wrap the masala and the karimeen (pearl spot fish) in banana leaves. Take one banana leaf for one karimeen (pearl spot fish).

First, slightly heat the banana leaf on medium heat on both sides so that it will not tear when you wrap the fish.

Place the masala first, then place the karimeen on top and then add more masala to the top.

Wrap this and tie it with a string

Cook this covered on a non stick pan till the fish is cook. You will need to turn the wrap over halfway in order to fry both sides well.

If you have a mud pot, you should use it instead. It will add to the taste manifold.