Meen Varathu Paalupizhinjathu (Fish fry in a thick coconut gravy)

INGREDIENTS:

Fish- 4 [Karimeen(Pearl spot)/Pomphret/ Tilapia or any small fish/]

For the gravy:
Garlic- 4
Ginger- 1" piece
Green Chilli- 5
Onion-2
Coriander powder- 2tsp
Chilli powder- 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Garam masala- 1/4 tsp
Thick coconut milk- 3/4 cup
Cardamom - 5
Peppercorn- 2
Curry leaves- 2 sprigs
Vinegar- 1 tbsp

For marination:
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Lime juice- 1 tsp
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Clean the fish. Do not cut it because this dish calls for the whole fish.
2. Marinate the fish with the ingredients mentioned for marination and set aside for 15 mins.
3. Shallow fry each fish until it is cooked properly. Be careful not to break the fish especially if you are using fish fillet. After frying, arrange them on a serving platter.
4. In a pan, sautee the onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies. Continue till the onions turn golden brown in colour.
5. Add the curry leaves and fry for a minute
6. Now put in all the powders(coriander, turmeric,chilli and garam masala) and fry it till the raw smell of the masala goes. This should take anywhere between 2 to 4 mins.
7. Next add the thick coconut milk. Make sure that the flame is reduced so that the coconut milk does not boil.
8. Crush the cardamom and peppercorn and add it. Stir well so that the spices blends well witht he gravy.
9. Lastly, add the vinegar. Let the gravy boil for sometime but make sure not for long otherwise the coconut milk will split. The gravy should be thick and not watery.
10. Pour this gravy over the arranged fish. This dish tastes awesome when it sits for a while after making it.