FISH MOLIE
Recipe by Moira Breen
Here is the recipe I have used for many years in the USA which I got from my aunt in England. Both of us lived in India for many years. The recipe has been adapted from the original Indian recipe for life without servants and coconut graters in our adoptive countries. Of course it is not nearly as good as the original but it is a lot simpler. Below I describe briefly how fish molie was made in India and then my aunt's modification.
General description: "Fish molie" is curried fish cooked in coconut milk. Coconut milk is a boiling hot water extract of grated coconut. The first extract is called the "first coconut milk" and the second extract is called "the second coconut milk. These extracts are used in some curries, lentil dishes and other dishes and its use was more common in South India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
The water must be boiling to extract the coconut lipids which are high in cholesterol! To get the grated coconut you must break the coconut in half with an axe or a machete! Then one-half of the coconut is put around a metal ball with a jagged tooth surface which in turn is connected to a handle. Turning the handle causes the metal ball to rotate inside the coconut-half and the coconut meat is grated down to the shell in a few minutes. This ingenious gadget was standard equipment in our kitchens in India and which I have never seen since I left India 50 years ago! Maybe someone out there has a picture of it. It may surprise you to learn that curry powder as such was not used in India. Instead, the cook ground each spice separately, adding a little water to make a paste which was then rolled into a ball. Each ball of spice paste was kept separate on a platter looking very much like an artist's palette - the colors ranging from red (red pepper) to varying shades of yellow, brown and green - very picturesque. .
Method: First fry a chopped onion in hot oil until translucent, then add a colored ball of spice paste, fry for a few minutes over a low flame and then add the next ball and repeat. Each ball of spice must be fried separately on a low flame. Since we had wood fires in South India, it was difficult to control the flame, so the cook would sprinkle the cooking pan with water to keep the temperature down. (If it is too hot the spices will burn). Then add meat, vegetables etc as you would a stew.
Curry powder as such, was a convenience developed for the British returning to England. The dried spices were ground and mixed together and taken home to England in an airtight can. . However, Indian dishes made with curry powder means that every Indian dish has the same combination of spices and tastes the same. In India, the combination of spices varied with the dish.
Here is my aunt's recipe for Fish Molie - in the UK and USA. Line an oven-proof dish with cooked potatoes, split lengthtwise. Pat fillets of fish - the least expensive you can buy - dry. Sprinkle fish with a mixture of red pepper (cayenne) and ground turmeric (one=quarter to one-half teaspoon of red pepper to a tablespoon of turmeric). Rub in. If you rub fish with your fingers, wash hands immediately. Fry fish lightly in oil - turning once - do not cook completely. Lay partly cooked fish on potatoes. Curried white sauce: To 4 ounces (125 ml) of unsweetened canned coconut milk (from Thailand) add 4 ounces (125 ml) of cow's milk and one tablespoon of flour. Mix. Reserve. In the same frying pan, fry a chopped onion in oil until translucent. Add 1 tablespoon of the red pepper / turmeric mix. Stir for a few minutes. Add curried white sauce. Stir for a few minutes until sauce thickens. Pour sauce over fish. Cover. Bake in a moderate oven for 30 minutes, reduce heat to low and bake another 15 minutes. Serve with cooked rice and a green salad. Notes: My aunt uses a "coconut cream" she finds in England (it was wrapped in paper and not canned). Once, many years ago, I brought a packet of this coconut cream with me on a plane from the UK to the US. By the time I arrived, the cream had melted in my suitcase and had turned rancid! So whatever coconut cream or milk you use, refrigerate upon opening. The potatoes are optional - but they make the fish go further, and the fish keeps its configuration while baking making a pleasant presentation. . You can vary the combination of turmeric and red pepper according to taste. The more red pepper, the hotter the dish will be. If you cannot find red pepper and turmeric powder in your stores, then resort to curry powder. I find Bolst's curry powder the best. The first Mr Bolst lived in Bangalore when I was a child - the name is Dutch in origin.