Fish Molly / Molee (Fish Stew - Kerala Style) Recipe

Fish simmered in coconut milk with onion, ginger- garlic, pepper and tomatoes.Appam with fish molee is a favorite of every malayalee. An all time dream breakfast!! It goes well with Idiyappam and bread also. This recipe is adapted from my mom-in-law. One of my favorite recipe from her collection. Pomfret, Pearlspot, King fish and seer fish are few preferred fishes for this dish.

Summary

(301 votes, average: 4.43 out of 5)

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Course breakfast
Cuisine kerala
Yield 4 serving
Cooking Time 60 minutes
Total Time 60 minutes

Ingredients

Fish

1/2 kg

Marination

turmeric powder

1/4 tsp

salt

1/2 tsp

ginger-garlic paste

1 tbsp

pepper powder

1 tsp

lime juice

1 tsp

Gravy

clove

5 numbers

cinnamon (1 inch stick)

2 numbers

cardamom

2 numbers

onion (medium)

1 number

onion (small)

1 cup

curry leaves

1 sprig

green chilli

4 numbers

salt

ginger-garlic paste

1.5 tbsps

pepper powder

1 1/2 tsps

tomato

2 numbers

coconut milk medium thick

2 cups

coconut milk (thick)

1 cup

Garnish

onion (small)

2 numbers

cashew nut

1 tbsp

curry leaves

tomatoes

1/2 number

Steps

Clean fish pieces well and marinate it with turmeric powder, salt, ginger garlic, pepper powder and lime juice( listed under marination). Keep it aside for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a flat pan. Shallow fry the fish pieces for 2 minutes on one side at medium flame. Keep it aside.
Thinly slice onion, small onion and green chili.
Heat oil in a pan. You can use the same oil used for frying fish. Splutter clove, cinnamon and cardamom. ** If you are using same pan to prepare gravy, remember to remove excess oil from the pan.
Add sliced onion, small onion, green chili, curry leaves and salt into it. Saute it well until onion is soft. ** You can partially replace small onion with regular onion also. Small onion always gives a better taste.
Add ginger and garlic paste and saute well. Add pepper powder and aniseeds powder and saute well.
Add medium thick coconut milk. Adjust salt in the gravy.
Then add fried fish and thinly sliced tomatoes. Make sure that fish pieces and tomatoes are immersed in the gravy. Cook for around 15 minutes in medium flame until fish and tomatoes are done.
Cashew paste is optional. Soak 1 tbsp cashew in 2 tbsp hot water for 15 minutes. Grind it to a smooth paste.
Add thick coconut milk and cashew paste. Stir it carefully and bring it to boil.
Garnish - Fry small onion, cashew and curry leaves. Decorate with the prepared garnish and sliced tomatoes. Serve it with Appam or Idiyappam or bread. Enjoy 🙂