CV Balakrishnan recalls his childhood when he enjoyed Kannur special fish dishes

Noted writer CV Balakrishnan cannot help but return to his childhood memories while expressing his unending love for fish. He recalls how the paddy fields swelled up with gushing rain water during the monsoon season. Balakrishnan says that fishing in those muddy waters was his main hobby as a kid. Kaychal or a kind of fresh water sole fish was aplenty in these paddy fields and rivulets. The writer says that he had enjoyed myriad varieties of fish curries and other fish dishes in his childhood. Kannur, his hometown, is known for its unique culinary heritage.

A combination of vegetarian dishes like sambar, koottu curry, avail, olan, pachadi, kichadi and pulissery makes the lunch a delicious affair. However, for the people of Kannur, a filling lunch menu isn’t complete without a fish curry. The culinary history of Kannur cannot be traced back to a single dish; instead it is a combination of delicious dishes that create a harmony of flavors on your palette.

CV Balakrishnan recalls how his mother would make him sit on her lap and feed him squishy balls of rice. He can still feel the incredible taste of those rice balls mixed with fish curry that is cooked in fresh buttermilk. The writer cannot stop talking about the variety of fish dishes that he had enjoyed in his childhood. From the special fish cooked in buttermilk to fish cooked with dried gooseberries and the typical spicy fish curry, Balakrishnan loves them all. He says that there had been times when he had eaten up to three different types of preparations or curries made using the same fish, for a meal. Every day, different fish dishes were prepared at his home. Sardines, cod, white sardines, anchovies and gar fish were some of the commonly available ones. Balakrishnan says that meat didn’t have a significant position on the dining table in his house.

Rice flakes mixed with rock candies and ghee and ada or steamed rice patties with ripe banana filling are some of Balakrishnan’s favourite snacks. He also enjoys a puzhukku or a spiced mixture of dried tapioca and Bengal gram. In Kannur cuisine, fresh pepper is added to almost everything; be it a vegetarian dish, fish curry or a meat dish.

Balakrishnan shares the recipes of some of his favourite fish curries.

Fish cooked in buttermilk
Sardines or white sardines taste best when cooked like this
Ingredients
Sardines
Ginger
Green chillies
Turmeric powder
Chilli powder
Cumin seeds
Garlic
Grated coconut
Buttermilk
Curry leaves
Mustard seeds

Preparation
Boil the fish in some water by adding ginger, green chillies, turmeric powder and chilli powder
Grind the grated coconut with cumin seeds and garlic
Add this paste into the boiling fish
Cook well
Into it add thick buttermilk (or depending up on its sourness)
Mix well
Heat coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds
Roast some curry leaves
Add this tempering into the fish curry
Mix gently.

Pepper fish curry
Pearl spot, cod, gar fish and white sardines could be cooked like this. It is a simple dish that isn’t cooked in strong masala
Ingredients
Fish
Freshly ground pepper
Turmeric powder
Coconut oil
Garlic
Curry leaves

Preparation
Boil water by adding freshly ground pepper and turmeric powder
When the water bubbles up add the cleaned fish and salt as required
Add coconut oil when the water begins to reduce
Add crushed garlic and curry leaves
Mix well.

Gooseberry fish curry
Big and fatty sardines could be used to prepare this curry.
Ingredients
Gooseberries (dried under sun and powdered)
Green chillies
Ginger
Onion
Tamarind
Coriander powder
Pepper powder
Chilli powder

Preparation
Boil the fish pieces in some water mixed with ginger, green chillies and onion
Add some tamarind too
Now add chilli powder, coriander powder and pepper powder
Add the dried gooseberry powder too
Mix well
Boil until the fish is soft and flaky
This dish tastes best when rested overnight.