Fish mappas or Meen mappas is a delicious coconut based fish curry popularly made in the South Indian state, Kerala. Fish refers to Meen in Malayalam language. This is a lightly spiced fish recipe in which fish is cooked in creamy coconut milk, masala paste and tomatoes. You can use tinned coconut milk or fresh coconut milk for this recipe. First, fish is cooked in thin coconut milk. After the fish is cooked, thick and creamy coconut milk is added.
This tasty mappas makes a perfect combo with rice and appams. Let’s try this yummy fish curry preparation…..
Ingredients
- ½ kg Fish (Seabass, pomfret, king fish, tilapia etc), cut into medium pieces
- 1 ½ tbsp. Coconut oil
- ¼ tsp. Mustard seeds
- 2 Dried red chillies
- Whole spices – Cardamom-2, whole pepper corns-1/4 tsp., cloves – 4, Bay leaf-1, cinnamon stick – 1 inch
- ½ Onion, thinly sliced or chopped
- 1 tsp. Ginger, chopped
- 1 tsp. Garlic, chopped
- 2 Green chillies, slit
- Curry leaves, a few
- ½ tsp. Turmeric powder
- ¾ tsp. Kashmiri chilli powder
- ¾ tsp. Coriander powder
- 1 Tomato, chopped
- 1 cup Thin coconut milk
- ½ cup Thick coconut milk
- 1/8 tsp. Coarsely ground pepper
- Salt, to taste
Method
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.
- Add mustard seeds and splutter them. Fry dry red chillies, whole spices and stir for a few seconds.
- Next add thinly sliced onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies and stir until onion begins to change colour slightly. Bring down the heat to low.
- Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder. Sauté until their raw smell disappears.
- Next add sliced tomato and curry leaves. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add thin coconut milk, salt and bring to a boil. Add the fish pieces. Cook covered for 7 – 8 minutes at medium heat until the fish pieces are done.
- Add thick coconut milk, coarse ground pepper and a few curry leaves. Cook for a minute or two over low heat. Switch off the flame.
- Serve delicious fish mappas with appam, bread, puttu, rotis or rice.
