Meen molee in Manhattan
Elizabeth Eapen -
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 7:07 AM
Call it my piece de resistance. Or my comfort food. Or
the one thing i can cook at (literally) a moment's notice and be sure
of success. I'm always surprised when I hear of meen (fish) molee (fish
in coconut gravy is a simple description, but read all the disclaimers
below) talked of as being difficult to make... When you read my easy
recipe below, you'll know why.
Cousin Sanjay's Manhattan kitchen is as good a place as any for the
business of fish molee. Light filters gladly in through the 23rd floor
window that overlooks a strangely coherent jigsaw of brick and glass
and steel and concrete, all towering over 59th and 9th, which is where
we are, and much beyond.
And it's hot in Manhattan. Hot and humid, a lot like Delhi is at
the moment. So that's one more reason to cook fish molee, you can be
done and out of the kitchen in half an hour flat.
We shopped at Kalustyan's on Lexington Ave. (Little India) for the
ingredients. Sanjay's wife Dessi had got the fish (tilapia) from near
where she works. I tried hard to be blase about the fact that we were
paying $3.99 (Rs 188 approx?) for two, yes, two, sprigs of fresh curry
leaves. But everything is available, from Parachute coconut oil to MDH
masalas. I'm the sort of person who's fazed by two types of washing
powder, as I wrote in my last post. Here, in consumers' Mecca,
the shelves confuse me before I've even got started. No-fat, low-fat,
reduced-fat, half-fat, full-fat. And all separated by a mind-numbing 2%. The (slow) mind boggles.
Anyway. Back to the molee. Tilapia is not the best fish for molee,
it's too soft and not 'fishy' enough, but it will do. In Delhi I get
boneless surmai (seer fish) tikkas (chunks) or if cut comes to slice, a
beefy pomfret. But surmai is the best. There was also no mortar and
pestle to crush the dry red chillies with the ginger and garlic,
so I put them in separately. Not the best way, the flavours don't mesh
together as well. But that's not such a big concern. The ingredients took 5
minutes to assemble, 10 to put together. Add another 15-20
for the cooking. That's it.
Didn't I say it's simple? Even 12,000-plus kilometres away from home.
KERALA FISH MOLEE
I must clarify Kerala because fish molee could be confused with a
Thai curry, it looks the same. It's also very different from a Goan
curry and indeed, very different from other Kerala fish curries. In
fact, it's probably not correct to even call it a curry, it looks and
tastes more like a stew. It's light and easy on the tongue and stomach.
Ingredients (serves two)
250g boneless surmai (king fish) or any other 'meaty' fish
2 large onions, sliced thin
3 large tomatoes, quartered
2-3 green chilles (slit) depending on how hot(ter?) you want it
2 large flakes of garlic, a half inch piece of ginger, 3-4 medium-sized dry red chilles, crushed together
a sprig of curry leaves
a pinch of turmeric powder
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2-3 tea cups thickish coconut milk (I use Nestle's coconut milk
powder, freely available in all grocery stores. Cocomi is another Sri
Lankan brand you could use. I find coconut milk made from powder - it's
just like milk powder, put some into a glass and mix with warm water
till you get the consistency you require - much better than what comes
out of a tin)
salt to taste
Method
1. Saute the sliced onions in some (3-4 spoons) oil in a wok, till transparent.
2. Add the crushed garlic-ginger-dry red chillies. Stir; don't let it burn. Garlic tends to stick. Keep the flame low.
3. Add turmeric powder, 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 if you want a richer colour.
4. Add the quartered tomatoes and stir lightly so they don't break. Here you could add the green chilles and the curry leaves as well.
5. Add the coconut milk, salt, vinegar. Let it all come to a boil.
6. Add the fish pieces, one by one.
7. Turn down to a low simmer; cover and cook till done. Should take no more than 15 minutes.
Tastes best with bread or steamed rice.