NADAN FISH FRY WITH COCONUT MILK

    Fish Fry is a simple recipe, a simple marinade with Salt, Red Chilli Powder and Turmeric is more than enough to bring out the taste and flavour of a Fish Fry.  When a few other ingredients follow the toll, it takes the recipe into another level. Ginger Garlic Paste, Pepper/Fennel/Cumin Powder, some add tangy ingredients like Lemon Juice/Tamarind, can spice it up with Kandhari/Bird's Eye chillies.  The versions and variations a Fish Fry can be made is innumerable, and it even changes with regions from which it originates and takes twists and turns to suit a cook's whims and fancies.

    Recently, I was watching a Malayalam Movie "Maduram" and the actor in the Movie, Mr.Joju George cooks a fish fry in it.  He says he added a bit of coconut milk while marinating the fish.  The dialogue instantly caught my attention and the very next day I got into action.  And absolutely the taste of the Fish Fry was astounding, just the addition of Coconut Milk had elevated the taste and flavour of this Fish Fry.  So, a Fish Fry inspired from the Movie, "Maduram" through the words of Actor Joju George.  Some dialogues coming from some actors really make the dish sound interesting and tasty. 

    This Nadan Fish Fry with Coconut Milk is a simple Fish Fry recipe prepared in a typical Kerala style with local spices and undoubtedly fried in Coconut Oil.  This gives an authentic touch to this Fish Fry.  Fish Slices are marinated in freshly ground spice paste with a drizzle of Lemon Juice, Coconut Oil & Coconut Milk.  The finishing touch of this Fish Fry is undoubtedly the Coconut Milk, which elevates the taste and flavour of this Nadan Fish Fry.

    This Nadan Fish Fry is a spicy, tasty and flavour filled dish with a mild note of tanginess laced with coconut milk. This Nadan Fish Fry is comparatively spicy, which makes it a perfect combo along with heady Toddy. Simply serve this Nadan Kerala Style Fish Fry as an appetizer or as a side dish.



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Cuisine - Kerala
Course - Appetizer/Side Dish
Spice Level - Medium-High
Difficulty - Easy
Serves - 2-3
Author - SM


Preparation Time - 10 - 15 Minutes
Marination - 30 Minutes - 1 Hour
Cooking Time - 20 - 30 Minutes


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HOW TO COOK NADAN FISH FRY WITH COCONUT MILK

NADAN FISH FRY WITH COCONUT MILK

INGREDIENTS:

To Marinate the Fish:

Fish - 6-8 Slices
Lime Juice - from 1/2 a Lime
Coconut oil - 1 Teaspoon
Thick Coconut Milk - 1/4 Cup
Salt - To Taste

 

To Grind:

Shallots - 8-10 No's.
Ginger - 1" Piece - 2 No's.
Garlic - 5-6 Cloves
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Red Chilli Powder - 11/2 Teaspoon
Peppercorns - 1Teaspoon
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves - a few sprigs

 

For Shallow Frying :

Coconut oil - 5-6 Tablespoons.
Curry Leaves - a few Sprigs

METHOD:

For Nadan Fish Fry: 

• Clean, wash and Cut Fish into slices.
• Clean and wash the Fish and allow it to drain in a Colander.
• If using a full fish, draw 3-4 incisions with a sharp knife all over the fish.
• Grind all the ingredients mentioned under "To Grind" into a fine paste.  Sprinkle some water while grinding if necessary.
• Marinate the Fish Slices with the with above ground paste along with Coconut Oil, Thick Coconut Milk, Salt & Lemon Juice.
• Leave this aside for about 30 minutes - 1 hour.
• Heat Coconut oil in a pan, line it up with a few sprigs of Curry Leaves.
• Then place a few marinated Fish Slices and shallow fry the Fish slices.
• Fry the fish slices on a medium-low flame for a few minutes.
• Gently flip the fish and fry the other side for a few more minutes, or until it is fried on both sides.
• The Fish should turn crispy and into golden brown.
• Remove from oil and drain it.
• Serve Nadan Fish Fry with Coconut Milk, hot garnished with Onion Rings and a drizzle of Lime Juice.
• Can serve Kallu shappu style Fish Fry as an Appetizer.
• Nadan Fish Fry goes well with Steamed Rice or along with Vegetarian or Non-Vegetarian Curries, it can also be served as a side dish along with Rice Dishes, Biriyanis & Pulaos.
• This Spicy Fish Fry goes hand in hand with a glass of Thengin Kallu(Toddy).
•  Can serve this tasty Fish Fry in a Kerala Style Fish Curry Meals for a Lunch too.

 

NADAN FISH FRY WITH COCONUT MILK

NOTES:

• Any type of fish-small/big variety can be used for this recipe.
• I have prepared the dish with Halibut Fish Slices., even medium-sized whole fish can be used for the purpose.
• Adjust the amount of spices as per your taste and the size of the fish.
• Can marinate the fish overnight and leave it in the refrigerator. 
• Using Coconut Oil gives the authentic taste to the dish. Can use any other cooking oil too.
• Adding Coconut Milk is purely optional, but it gives an added taste and note of flavour to this  Nadan Fish Fry.
  
• Can Deep Fry or shallow Fry the fish as per your preference.
• I usually shallow fry the fish.
• Curry Leaves gives an incredible flavour to the roast.
  

 

KERALA STYLE FISH CURRY MEALS

    Yet another set of recipes for a simple SUNDAY LUNCH MENU.  As special as it is - a Weekend, a day of rest... turns out to be a day of work for women folk.  A good rest & a relaxed mode asks for good food, & the women folk has to get busy planning the meal, cooking & cleaning.  Kudos to all Working Women out there... I am always at awe with their effortless multitasking between work & home.  

    Though most of the Sundays goes by with a default Lunch with Meat, Fish or Seafood also takes over the show on some Sundays.  And when the craving for a typical Kerala Style Fish Curry Meals hits to the core, I plan ahead, buy fish & prawns, clean them and store it in the freezer.  Then it goes along with the typical Menu I cook while I make a Fish Curry Meals, which always comprises Fish Curry, Fish Fry, Prawns, a Vegetable Thoran, Chammanthi or Chammanthi Podi and will finish off the Lunch with Curd.  When it comes to Fish Curry Meals I always make Kerala Matta Rice & Steamed Tapiocas to go along with it.

    A complete meal without Fish, Rice and/or Tapioca is quite rare in Kerala.  One main reason behind this is the long coastline of the State, and availability of fresh catch.  Kerala Cuisine has a tradition of its own, with an extreme combination of a cultural mix of locals and tradesmen from Portugal.  Dishes made out of Fish are relished by Keralites, that it has become a speciality in the dynamic culture of ’God’s Own Country'.  On the long run, it took some twists and turns to suit the palate of Kerala culture enhancing and enriching the tastes and flavours of the fish curry.     

    Fish Curry Meals would be devoured heads down by a Keralite. My husband says that he has seen working women(in Cochin) buy a few fish on their way back home.  He would say, maybe they would make a simple Curry or a fry for dinner. The fact is he loves this idea, buying a fresh catch and cooking it up immediately.

     I had never been a fan of Fish Curry Menu when I was a kid. Least to mention, I used to hate eating Tapiocas & Matta Rice.  I never felt a Fish Curry meals special until I was living in India. One good reason behind that was we never got fresh catch in our area.  Whatever kind of fish we got in Coimbatore, all came from coastal areas of Kerala & Tamil Nadu.  But when we started living in Malaysia & as the place is so close to the coastal line, there was no lack of fresh catch. There we invented the taste & flavour of fresh seafood.  I & my husband recreated our love for seafood since then. And whenever I travel to Cochin, I never miss a chance of eating a Fish Curry meals.  During few of our visits, we have travelled around to have an elaborate Seafood spread at Kallu Shappu(Toddy Shop)served along with the local hooch.

    So whenever a craving for Kerala Style Fish Curry Meals hits, I prepare a combination of dishes like how they serve in a restaurant or go ahead making Kerala Style Pothi Choru(packaged Lunch) which is our another favourite.  So here goes a combination of dishes which can be easily prepared if you are planning for a Kerala Style Fish Curry Meals. 

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Cuisine - Kerala
Menu - Lunch Menu
Difficulty - Medium
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 45 Minutes - 1 Hour.
Cooking Time - 2 Hours -21/2 Hours

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This Kerala Style Fish Curry Meals consists of:

• Kerala Matta Rice
• Kappa Puzhungiyathu/Boiled Tapioca
  
• Fish Curry with Raw Mangoes
  
• Kerala Style Nadan Fish Fry
• Prawns/Chemmeen Ularthiyathu
  
• Cheera Thoran(Stir-fried Spinach)
• Unakka Chemmeen Podi

*Can serve Pacha Manga Chammanthi/Mulagu Chalichathu or your choice of Condiment/Nadan Chammanthi in Fish Curry Meals.