RecipesGoyaFebruary 04, 2022kutchi memon, kochi kutchi memon, fish recipe

Tasneem Arif's Traditional Kochi Kutchi Memon Fish Muttiya

RecipesGoyaFebruary 04, 2022kutchi memon, kochi kutchi memon, fish recipe

A delicious take on rice dumplings with fish from the Kutchi Memon community of Cochin.

Fish muttiya, served with chatni, is a unique dish of the Cochin Kutchis. Muttiya is a meal by itself; rice dumplings in a thick gravy of fish, mutton or prawns, served with a special coconut chatni made by combining grated coconut, finely chopped onions, green chillies, lime juice and salt. Fish muttiya is made by marinating and frying fish, then gently simmered in their signature masala. The gravy is then mixed with rice flour, ghee and enough water to make a dough, pieces of which are clenched in the fist to achieve the classic mutti (fist) shape, and then steamed. They are served on a platter, topped with fish and garnished generously with crisp-fried onions and coriander leaves. The Kochi Kutchi Memon muthiyas has grated coconut, and uses rice powder, unlike gram or wheat flour, used in Gujarati kitchens. Read more about the Kochi Kutchi Memons here.

Recipe: Tasneem Arif’s Fish Muttiya

Ingredients
For the fish
500 g fleshy fish like king fish or sailfish, cut into large chunks
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp vinegar ( preferably coconut)
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil, to shallow fry the fish

For the gravy
6 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup curds
1/2 tsp garam masala
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste

For the paste
200 g shallots
3 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
6 green chillies
2 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 cup grated coconut

For the muttiyas
5 cups water
3 cups rice flour
3 tbsp ghee
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste

For garnish
1/2 crisp fried onions
A handful of coriander leaves

Method
Mix the chilli and turmeric powders with salt and vinegar. Smear this on the fish and leave to marinate for a couple of hours, then fry the fish lightly and keep aside.
Grind the ingredients for the paste until smooth. Heat oil, add the paste and fry well till the oil separates. Now add the curd, garam masala, coriander leaves, lime juice and salt.
Carefully add the fried fish pieces, coating them well with the (thick) gravy. Simmer for a minute and remove the fish pieces, leaving a couple of spoons of the thick gravy in the pan. Now take out this gravy, scraping out all the bits from the pan, and keep aside.
To make the muttiyas, start by boiling the water with salt. Add the flour a little at a time, stirring well till the mixture comes together.
Tip it onto a large plate and add the ghee, gravy, lime juice and coriander leaves. Knead well and make lime sized balls. Now take a piece and gently clench it between your fingers and palm as if you are making a fist. This will create the characteristic "mutti/ fist" shape with finger markings. Continue making the rest of the muttiyas.
Take a large steamer and neatly arrange the muttiyas on the perforated plate. Steam for 5 minutes. Now open the lid and place no more than half the fish pieces over the muttiyas. Steam for 3 minutes and remove the fish.
Next, place the remaining fish pieces and steam again for 3 minutes.
Arrange the muttiyas and fish in a large serving platter. Garnish with crisp fried onions and coriander leaves.
Serve with chatni on the side.