There are some recipes which are very special to you, maybe not because of it's taste but because of how it makes you feel! This Chemmeen Peera Pattichathu is one such recipe for me.
I always associate meen peera/chemmeen peera with my childhood days. My Ammachi (maternal grandmother) used to have meen peera for lunch almost every other day. I still remember, her standing on the front veranda and talking to the fish monger about the freshness of the fish.
Believe it or not, this recipe is one of the first non veg recipes that I've written in my cooking dairy, when I got married almost 19 years ago! I dont know why it took me so long to share this recipe here, maybe now is the time :)
Though this recipe is special to me mostly because of the cherished memories, I also like how it tastes. The combination of coconut with kokum and the juices from the prawns, drizzled with coconut oil and the freshness of curry leaves, gives it a nice punch.
It's such a simple dish with minimal ingredients and it allows each ingredient to shine through. If you are a fan of traditional Kerala cooking, especially seafood, then you MUST try this.
Chemmeen Peera Pattichathu
Ingredients
- 250 gms Small variety Prawns (measured after cleaning)
- 1 cup Grated coconut
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 5 Small/pearl onions
- 2.5 tsp Chopped garlic
- 2 tsp Chopped ginger
- 2-3 Green chillies
- 2-3 small pieces of Kokum (kudampuli) (soaked in 3 tbsp warm water for 10 mins)
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- Salt
- 1/2 – 1 tbsp Coconut oil
Instructions
- Crush/pulse together small onion, chopped ginger & garlic, green chillies, turmeric powder and curry leaves. When it's almost crushed, add coconut to this and crush/pulse until everything comes together.
- Take a small claypot or a pan and add the crushed mixture to it. Add soaked kokum along with the water. Add cleaned prawns and salt. Mix everything together with your hands.
- Cover and cook in the lowest flame for 12-15 mins. Once it's done, check the seasoning and add mores salt if required.
- Drizzle the coconut oil and add some curry leaves too. Let the dish rest for 20 mins or so, for the flavors to settle in.
