Meen pollichathu

Method

1. 1 Marinate the whole fish with turmeric, chili powder, salt, and tamarind juice for 30 minutes.
2. 2 Sear the fish in coconut oil for 3 minutes on each side until the outside is seared, then remove from the pan.
3. 3 Sauté shallots, ginger, curry leaves, and cumin seeds for 10 minutes until thickened into a masala sauce.
4. 4 Heat the banana leaves over a fire for 10 seconds to make them pliable; unheated leaves will crack when used for wrapping.
5. 5 Spread masala on a leaf, place the fish on top, then cover the fish completely with masala and wrap tightly into a square package.
6. 6 Grill the wrapped package in a cast iron skillet for 12 minutes per side or in a 200-degree oven for 25 minutes, then open the package at the table.

With an appliance

• Oven 1 hr

  Replace step 6: bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 25 minutes; the banana leaves won't char, so there will be less smoky flavor. Add 10 ml more coconut oil when sautéing the masala.