"Meen vevichathu" or the Central Travancore style of fish in red gravy

Meen vevichathu

There are as many ways of preparing this simple, elegant and classic dish as there are Kerala Syrian Christian households. Some do this with whole spices and others use powdered "masalas", each one extolling the virtues of his or her method! The proportions of condiments vary with the taste preferences of the family and finally the type of fish used also depends on personal favourites. Kerala fish curries are cooked in a clay pot called the "meen chatti". And if a "meen chatti" is not available, not to fret...you can cook this in any thick bottomed cooking pot. It is said that the clay pot imparts a certain inexplicable yummy flavour which is missing in other vessels. All in all, a dish that could be the barometer of a cook's expertise. In the end, this is just simply a spectacular dish which will transport you to culinary heaven (if you can take the spices!). It is one Kerala dish which has no use of any grated coconut though the oil is used to give it a nice, complete sort of aroma! Here is one of the simpler versions I do that always gets me a compliment or two from my family and friends.

Serves 8 - 10 persons
Preparation and cooking time approx: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Ingredients

1. Seer fish (preferably) or any large variety of fish that has firm flesh - 1 kg
2. Fish tamarind or "meen pulli" - 4 large pieces
3. Kashmiri (mild) red chilli powder - 2 heaped teaspoons
4. Pungent red chilli powder - 1 heaped teaspoon
5. Roasted coriander powder - 1 heaped teaspoon
6. Turmeric powder - 3/4 teaspoon
7. Ginger chopped finely- 1 1/2 tablespoons
8. Garlic chopped finely - 2 tablespoons
9. Onions or shallots (madras onions) chopped finely - 2 tablespoons
10. Coconut oil or any mild flavoured vegetable oil - 3 tablespoons
11. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
12. Roasted fengreek powder - 1 tsp
13. Curry leaves (fresh) - a handful
14. Salt to taste
15. Water
16. Coconut oil - a teaspoon or so (optional)

Method

1. The fish has to be prepared first. It may be skinned if you like. Cut into medium to slightly larger pieces approximately 1 1/2" thick pieces. Wash thoroughly under running water and keep aside to drain in a colander.
2. Clean the fish tamarind thoroughly of all grit under running water and tear each large piece into 3 or 4 strips. Place all the 12 or so strips in the clay pot along with a few washed curry leaves. Add a teaspoon of salt and pour a cup of water so that the tamarind soaks for sometime. The meen chatti, thus prepared, is kept aside.
3. Take items numbered 3, 4, 5 and 6 and mix together in a 1/4 cup of water to get a thick semi-solid paste.
4. Heat a wok or frying pan on medium heat, pour the oil and then add the mustard seeds. (The "meen chatti" is a delicate vessel and replacing a broken one is easier said than done, so I normally do not fry the masalas in it to reduce the wear and tear on the pot bottom.) When the seeds splutter, add the chopped ginger and let it turn a light brown, then add the garlic bits and stir till the whole thing becomes a darker brown. The garlic needs to become brown mostly around the edges only. At this stage, add the chopped shallots or onions. When the onions become a deep brown without burning, add the semi-solid masala paste. Stir and fry this till you can see the oil surfacing around its sides. This could take 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat.
5. When the masala has begun releasing oil, tip all of it into the prepared clay pot. Rinse out the wok with half a cup of water and pour this water also into the "chatti". Add another 1 cup of water. Set the "chatti" on the stove and wait till the water and masalas come to a rolling boil.
6. When the gravy is boiling hard consistently, add the fish pieces, one by one, so that no two pieces are stuck to each other while cooking. As the fish is placed in the "chatti", the boil comes down to a simmer. Wait for the gravy to boil hard again. Add a few more curry leaves. You will find that the fish has released a lot of water. The fish curry should never be stirred around while or after cooking as fish is prone to breaking. Adjust salt and let the gravy thicken to your preference. The fish has to be boiled hard for at least 15 minutes to absorb some of the taste of the masala. A light simmer will not do as the fish will remain insipid and the gravy will be watery. (The gravy can be of thick pouring consistency.)
7. Towards the end of the cooking, add the roasted fenugreek powder. Let it cook for a few seconds after that and then turn the fire off. The "chatti" retains a geat amount of heat and you will see that the gravy is still boiling well even when it is off the stove. Sprinkle the remaining curry leaves and add a dash of raw coconut oil, do not stir at all. Keep the lid shut for about 10 minutes. Open the lid a little so that the steam does not condense inside. Keep for at least half an hour. Serve warm with rice, tapioca or even with "rotis" (Indian bread).

Tips

"Meen vevichathu" can be kept for a few days (if it doesn't get over!) as the flavour improves vastly with time. This can be kept in the fridge. While reheating, I like to take only the required amount of curry and fish pieces and zap it for a minute in the microwave before serving it.

It is better to use larger, fleshy fish rather than small varieties as the masala can work its way into the pieces without making a mash of the whole thing.

A "meen chatti" is a good thing to have in your pantry if you plan on doing Kerala fish curries more often. You can buy one from a Kerala store or from Kerala itself! You can tilt the chatti this way and that to move the fish pieces around during cooking.

Fish tamarind aka "meen pulli" is available in South Indian/Kerala stores everywhere. Or you can get them through somebody coming from Kerala. This stuff keeps for ages.

Fenugreek seeds aka "methi" seeds can be roasted and powdered. After cooling, this powder can be stored in a bottle for use in different dishes.

Kerala boiled rice goes very well with this curry.

The key to a good "meen vevichathu" is fresh ingredients. Freshly caught fish, freshly picked curry leaves, fresh coconut oil, fresh ginger, garlic and shallots make a huge difference to the end result. This difference is felt when one has this dish in the village and the flavours that you experience there are not something easily replicated in the city.