What is your spice tolerance? Thai-level? Indian-level? Or bird's eye chilli level? If it is the last one, then you have the privilege of being able to enjoy a wide range of mouthwatering dishes. Bird's eye chilli is notorious for how hot it is, despite looking like cute little vegetable. Its level of spiciness measures around 100,000 - 225,000 Scoville units. So it is no wonder Malayalis fondly call a hot-headed troublemaker 'kanthari', the local name for bird's eye chilli.
One of the best ways to incorporate bird's eye chilli in your meal is to use it as a spice paste to marinate fish or meat. Kanthari fish pollichathu or fleshy fish coated in a kanthari paste and cooked in fresh plantain leaf packet is an incredibly delicious dish that could be enjoyed with rice, tapioca or as starter. The aroma and the flavour of bird eye chillies and fresh ginger doesn’t overpower the actual taste of the fish. Chef Rahul of the famed Cheenavala Restaurant in Kochi shares a simple yet amazing recipe of white snapper cooked in plantain leaf here:
Ingredients
White snapper (Eri fish)
Ginger
Garlic
Bird's eye chillies (white and green varieties)
Shallots
Curry leaves
Lemon
Salt as required
Pepper powder
First extract of coconut milk
Coconut oil
Water as required
Preparation
Crush the shallots, bird's eye chillies, garlic, ginger and some curry leaves in a mixer jar
This would become tasty shallots chutney if some coconut oil too is added
Into this mixture add salt, pepper powder, coconut oil, first extract of coconut milk and lemon juice (you could also use tamarind water or a slice or raw mango or gooseberries)
Mix well
Marinate the fish with this paste
Keep the marinated fish aside for at least half an hour
This would make the fish softer and flaky
Run the plantain leaf over the flame to soften it
Spread some marinade on the leaf
Place the fish over it
Now add the rest of the marinade mixture
Drizzle some coconut oil too
Now, add some curry leaves and the remaining coconut milk
Wrap the plantain leaf into a nice packet
Place the plantain packet in a hot pan
Sprinkle some water into the pan to bring out steam
Cook with the lid on
The fish would be cooked pretty quickly in the steam
The dish would be nicely cooked in 15-20 minutes
Enjoy the white snapper pollichathu with steamed rice, boiled tapioca or porotta
The fish would have nicely absorbed the flavours of all the ingredients.
