Meen Pollichathu (Fish in Banana Leaf Wrap) - The Mango Tree Indian Coastal Restaurant at I12 Katong

Of the signature dishes on The Mango Tree Indian Coastal Restaurant's ala carte menu, Meen Pollichathu (Fish in Banana Leaf Wrap) is the most flavorful, made with freshly grounded herbs and spices, fresh ingredients, fresh fish fillet. 

The chef goes through many painstaking steps to ensure the fish fillet is thoroughly infused with the masala paste. Here's a bird's eye view of the steps to making a good Meen Pollichatchu : 

A typical masala paste is made up of cumin seed, mustard seed, coriander powder, red chili powder, pepper, tumeric powder, chopped ginger, chopped garlic, chopped shallots, chopped tomatoes, coconut oil, curry leaves, tamarind pulp, salt. 

The fish use can be : Pomfret, Salmon, Tilapia, Sea Bass, or any fish fillet or flat fish )

The marinade/seasoning for the fish include : lime or lemon juice, coriander powder, tumeric powder, red chili powder, salt. 

The coconut oil, cumin seed, mustard seeds, chopped shallots, chopped garlic, chopped ginger, green chili, curry leaves, chopped tomatoes are sauteed, then the spice powders (tumeric powder, chili powder, Jeera or cumin powder, Soa or dill powder, Dhania or coriander powder) are added to the sauteed ingredients. 

Pan fry the fish till crisp. To the coconut oil lined banana leaf is place half of the sauteed paste, then the fish is placed on top and the remaining paste added to the fish. The fish with paste is wrapped nicely with the banana leaf. To serve simply pan fry the fish wrapped in banana leaf and serve warm. 

Food Tasting Notes : The outer layer of the fish in Meen Pollichathu presents a orangely yellow color due to the generous dose of tumeric powder used in the masala paste as well as the marinate. The spices are well blended in the sauteed masala paste and lends a lightly spicy, fragrant and thick curry taste to this dish.  When you bite into the meat some of the whole black pepper bursts inside your mouth to give that peppery tinge. The sauteed shallots, onions , garlic,  ginger, tomatoes lend a sweet taste to this dish. The Chef used fresh fish fillet so this dish is easy to eat - full of meat and flavor minus the bones. 

The Mango Tree Indian Coastal Restaurant is located at : 

112 East Coast Road, 

I12 Katong, #03-11, 

S(428802) 

Tel : 66049661, 66049662