Kerala

Meen achar

Name: Meen achar
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Kerala
Ingredients: Fish, seer fish or tuna, boneless, 1/2 inch cubes; 1/2 tsp divided turmeric (ground turmeric); 3 tbsp divided kashmiri chilli powder; 1 tbsp red chilli powder (indian red chili powder); Salt, about 2 1/2 tsp, divided; 1/2 cup gingelly oil sesame oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 2 inch piece chopped ginger; 1 whole pod peeled garlic; 5 slit green chilli; 2 to 3 sprigs curry leaves; 1/2 tsp roasted and powdered fenugreek seeds; 1/4 tsp asafoetida; 2/3 cup boiled and cooled vinegar; 1 tsp optional sugar

Fried fish, garlic and ginger in gingelly oil and vinegar. Kerala's pickle jar flex.

70 minTime

9 gProtein each

hotSpice

Gingelly oil pickles3 chapters · 2 min read

Make it your way

Grandma's wayGingelly oil, Kerala vinegar and a whole pod of garlic.

The original

163kcal

9 gprotein

1 gfibre

70minutes

Meen achar as Kerala homes make it.

Per serving, worked out from the ingredient table. Grandma's way is the starting point the other versions are compared with.

Ingredients

Fishseer fish or tuna, boneless, 1/2 inch cubes

Turmeric (ground turmeric)½ tsp, divided

Kashmiri chilli powder3 tbsp, divided

Red chilli powder (indian red chili powder)1 tbsp

Saltabout 2 1/2 tsp, divided

Sesame oil½ cup gingelly oil

Mustard seeds1 tsp

Ginger5 cm piece, chopped

Garlic1 whole pod, peeled

Green chilli5, slit

Curry leaves2 to 3 sprigs

Fenugreek seeds½ tsp, roasted and powdered

Asafoetida¼ tsp

Vinegar⅔ cup, boiled and cooled

Sugar1 tsp, optional

Method

6 steps

1Pat the fish dry and mix with half the turmeric, 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder and 1 tsp salt. Leave for 30 minutes.
2Heat the sesame oil and fry the fish in batches on medium until golden, crisp at the edges and cooked through. Lift out and keep the oil.
3In the same oil, splutter the mustard seeds, then fry the ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves until golden.
4Turn the heat to the lowest. Stir in the rest of the chilli powders, turmeric, fenugreek powder and asafoetida for 30 seconds.
5Pour in the vinegar, add the rest of the salt and the sugar, and bring to a simmer. Add the fish, stir to coat and turn off the heat. Cool completely.
6Spoon into a clean, completely dry glass jar and rest for a day. Keep in the fridge, always use a dry spoon and finish within 3 weeks.

Serve it like this

Serve a small spoonful on the side of the plate with rice, curd rice or kanji.

Bloom picks tonight's dinner for your diet and allergies, then cooks it with you step by step.

Meen achar

Make it your way

Ingredients

Method

Make it a meal