A Spicy-Sour Fish Pickle with Black Pepper & Vinegar

Mahabelly is a beloved Kerala restaurant in Delhi, named after Mahabali, the lionized mythical king of the Kerala. Restaurateur Thomas Fenn expresses their vision in one cheeky line: “More Malayali food for more people.”

Last weekend, Mahabelly hosted a special sadya (more on that here) featuring several meat and fish items — a departure from the traditional vegetarian sadya, but very much in keeping with Kerala’s history of inclusivity, where non-vegetarian items are added to the meal, based on family and community tastes. This fish pickle was part of an extravagant ela sadya celebration, in the lead up to Onam, but also makes a regular appearance at every Kerala meal. If you’d like to book an onasadya, here’s a list of our favourite sadyas in the country.

A KERALA-STYLE FISH PICKLE

Ingredients
500 g filleted fish (like Tuna), cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ cup coconut oil
¼ cup sesame oil
1 teaspoon slivered fresh ginger
6 cloves garlic, sliced
3 green chillies, slit
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2 teaspoons chilli powder
½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1½ cups vinegar

Method
Mix the fish pieces with half the salt and all the turmeric in a ceramic bowl and set aside for an hour.

Heat the coconut oil in a skillet, add the fish and fry for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oil and set aside.

Add the sesame oil to the used coconut oil. Add the ginger, garlic, green chillies and fenugreek seeds and fry for 1 minute.

Add the chilli powder and pepper and fry, stirring continuously, until the oil rises to the top.Add the fried fish pieces, vinegar and the rest of the salt, and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool and store the fish pickle in sterilised bottles.

The Suriani Kitchen by Lathika George is one of the seminal cookbooks on Kerala Syrian Christian cuisine. You can purchase it here.

Image credits Aarohi Mehra.

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