- Apr 24, 2020
- 2 min read

Sardines/Mathi Polichathu

Sardines/Mathi Pollichathu

(Kerala Style Fish Bake)

1.Sardines-1/2 kg

Chilli powder-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

Lemon juice-1 lime

Salt to taste

Clean the sardines/Mathi and make gashes on both sides .

Mix all the above ingredients and Marinate the fish for 1 hour & shallow fry for 3 minutes on each side or till half done.Set this aside.

2.Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds-a pinch

Cumin Jeera-a pinch

Coconut oil-2 tbsps

Onions-1 big

Shallots-4-5

Curry leaves-2 sprigs

3.Ginger-1 " piece

Garlic-3-4(big)

Kanthari Mulaku-8-9 (Or Green Chilli-3-4)

Pachakurumulaku-20-25 (Or 1tsp Pepper Powder)

Curry leaves-1 sprig

Grind together all the above ingredients together and set aside.

Heat oil and splutter the mustard,fenugreek and cumin in that order.Add curry leaves and the sliced onions & shallots.Once the onions are translucent,add the ginger ,garlic,pepper and green Chillies paste and cook till the raw smell vanishes.

4.Chilli powder-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

Corriander powder-1 1/2 tsp

Garammasala-1/2 tsp

Tomato-1 big(2 Small)

Tamarind-1 tbsp dissolved in some hot water

Salt to taste

Add the above masalas and saute for a minute on low flame. Then add the chopped tomato and salt.Add some water and cook till the tomato blends well.Now add the tamarind water to this and cook till the gravy thickens .

The masala is ready.off the stove.

5.Banana leaves-2

Clean the banana leaves and wilt it by placing it over the gas flames 🔥 Remove the center stem and

Cut the banana leaves into 6 pieces.

Take a banana leaf piece and place some Masala at the center & place the fried fish over this masala.Now place some more masalas over the fish & then wrap with banana leaves to make a parcel.Tie with thread.Repeat with the remaining pieces of fish.

Heat a nonstick pan ,brush a tsp of oil and fry these parcels on low heat for 10 minutes on each side .

Today I didn’t have any banana leaves with me so I took a baking tray and placed a big piece of aluminum foil and spread half of the masala and placed the fried fish over it and then spooned the remaining masala evenly over the fish.

Cover the fish with remaining foil and pinch the edges closed to create a sealed parcel.Bake this in a preheated oven at 200 C for 25-30 minutes minutes.Remove the tray from the oven and open the parcel carefully as it will be hot 🥵.

Remove and serve hot the Baked Sardines as snack with some onion rings or with steamed rice.