THE CULINARY JOURNEY OF FUSION FOOD--YEH MEENAMA
------
“meen elumicham payam. roast –classic Pomfret or Sole MENEUIE’RE
Fish mixed with special hand pounded herbs,
redchillies and masalas, marinated in lime juice and green coriander paste and
then fried or roasted crisp. ---
PONDICHERRY has always been home to a lot of
fusion cooking. I InPondicherry,
it’s not just French cuisine that blends with a Tamilian style of cooking;
there are also influences of the Portuguese, Vietnamese, Italian on the local
cuisine.
It’s a fusion
cuisine influenced by all the invaders who passed through Pudukay (Pudukay was
a Roman port in the third century BC)—the old name of Pondicherry.In
Pondicherry one can find , a treasure trove in recipe manuscripts with families
in old Pondicherry and Karaikal families, most of whom can claim to have
ancestors who settled in Pondicherry in the 1770s when they converted to
Christianity. Most of these recipes were culled from families and date back to
the 1930s; they were handwritten in an obscure form of Tamil and have to be de-coded.
They gotdishes from the Frenchcuisine and changed it with
local masalas which,abounds with
flavors that burst across the tongue,
Almost 200 years back,combiningthe refinement of
French cooking and strong powerful Indian spices, fusion cuisine, saw light,
when thecooks and local chefs created dishes for oneto immerseoneselfin the
world of great cuisine.. A stimulating triumph over cooking, blossoming with
passion and taste.
Later,
with the advent of Auroville, where one sawpeople from all nations, settled in
harmony, working towards their inner growth, living a community lifestyle and
contributing not only their culture and work ethos and skill, but alsorecipes
from their food, which was infused with local masalas and ingredients, creating
more fusion recipes. . French cooking was vastly adapted because the French
ruled here till 1952. The white town, where the French lived was divided by an
invisible wall from where Indians lived,
but the wall was broken down by our cooks and chefs who through their own
genius created a whole range of dishes, taking from the best of French dishes
and .Combining the refinement of French cooking and aroma of
strong, powerful Indian spices. Most of
the Tamil/French homes still dish out
the best of fusion food. In Pondicherry cuisine, few
spices are used, cloves and cardamom are rarely ground. The French food had
been adapted—the basic ingredients have been retained and French dishes
modified with added spices to suit the local palate. Rich ingredients such as ghee,
coconut milk, almond milk, poppy-seed paste and cashew-nut paste are used to
tone down spicesSome of the dishes likeSeafood Bouillabaisse[kadu l
rasam]. Made with sea bass, cod, mussel and clam served in a
soup/rasam made from lobster and
fish.Attu Kari Poruchudu. Braised lamb shoulder marinated with “Curry de
Pondicherry’”. Yeh Meenama “ classic sole or Pomfret meunie’re.This dish is so
simple and so effectively tasty that it is being shared with you’ll today. None
of these dishes you would find in arestaurant.YEH MEENAMMA
Preparation time -----25 min.
Cooking time ----- 20 min.
Serves ---4 pox.
Calories -----190 cl per serving.
Ingredients
·
Fish slices[pomfret
or sole] 750g
· Chilli powder 1tablespoon
· Coriander powder 1/4tablespoon
· Turmeric powder table spoon
· Garlic paste----1/2 table spoon
· Ginger paste ----3/4 table spoon
· Crushed shallot -----3/4 cup.
· Mint and green coriander paste ---1 tbsp.
· Lemon juice ------1/ cup.
· Salt ------to taste
· Green chilli paste---1/4 tbsp.
· Coconut /seasameOil------1/2 cup.
· Cumin and fennel seeds
powder---1/2 tbsp.
· white sesame seeds powder----1/2 tsp.
· rice flour--------1 tbsp.
METHOD.
o Steps clean and wash fish pieces
·
.Drain
water, marinate the fish pieces with salt and
o Lemon juice.
o keep aside for 10 minutes.
o In a bowl add chillipowder ,turmericPowder, coriander powderCumin
powder, white sesame powder, ginger and garlic paste. Crushed shallot and salt.
Mix well and make a smooth paste add water if required
·
Grind mint ,
green coriander and green chillies.
·
Add
paste to the fish.
·
. marinate
fish with the rest of the masala paste and set aside for one hour.
·
heat oil in
a pan or tawa,shallow fry the fish pieces. Turning over to cook both sides.
·
If roasting
then do so in a non-stick saucepan or tava.
·
Serve hot as
a side dish..
Chef ramaa shanker
Kitchen tip.
1 fish should be fresh and Pomfret is more readily
available than sole.
2 always store fish in air tight containers, while
storing in fridge, to avoid the fishy smell.
3 use fresh limes to clean vessel and hands after
cooking and cleaning fish—removes all odours.
4 butter can be used for grilling or shallow frying instead
of oil.
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