Meen Peera: Fish with Grated Coconut

A malayalee comfort food. It’s sort of like a thoran, made with small fishes like anchovies or sardines. Sometimes small cubes of bigger fishes like King Fish are also used. Yellow in colour with bright green bits of curry leaves and little black pieces of cocum, fish peera is one of my favorites Kerala dishes. A dash of fresh coconut oil at the end adds a touch of ethnicity to it. In some parts of the state, tomato is added though the tang is usually from cocum or kudampuli. Using green chillies is a better option to chilly powder, since the colour tends to turn orange otherwise.

Ingredients

1. Fish -250 gms
2. Grated Coconut – 2 cups
3. Green chillies – 2
4. Shallots – 10
5. Ginger – ½ “ Pc
6. Tumeric powder – ½ tsp
7. Cocum/Kudampuli – 3 medium pcs
8. Salt – to taste
9. Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
10. Coconut oil – 2 tbsp

Method:

• Clean the fish and cut into one inch pieces. Anchovies maybe used whole.
• Grind together coarsely, the grated coconut, turmeric powder, shallots, green chillies, few curry leaves and ginger. Heat one tbsp of oil. Add ground mix and sauté lightly.
• Add fish, curry leaves, cocum and salt. Add water to three fourth of the level of fish mixture.
• Cover and cook till done. Open and cook till dry and pour fresh coconut oil over it.