Fish molly, molee, moilee.. Meen molly. A white fish dish with gentle spice heat prepared with coconut milk and tomatoes, it is a family favourite. It's perfectly good made mild, but can be made quite hot, too.
This is how my younger sister prepares this. I'm not posting a recipe, but recording a process. No measurements in grams or cups, although I'm sure this is available elsewhere. I hope this will help guide you through the process if you wish to attempt it.
Where we start. Green chillies, ginger and garlic. Red onions.
Salmon, because that's what we have. Taliapa might be a better choice, but salmon is readily available here in the UK.
Add a bit of red chilli powder and turmeric, and rub into the flesh side of the fillet.
Fry on a hot pan, skin side down just for a few minutes to allow you to peel off the skin.
Set aside the fish.
Fry the onions. My sister used a neutral vegetable oil. Add a little salt at this point. Add the chillies, garlic and ginger, then when they're golden add and fry in some garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes. Continue gentle frying.
Add a handful of curry leaves.
Stir in the coconut milk. Continue gentle cooking.
Now we can add the sauce to the fish. Make sure to get some of the the sauce underneath the fish fillets too.
Now it's ready to bung in the oven, say 180C for 30 minutes. Serve it with sliced bread. Ciabatta tonight, close to the tough bread I had as a child.
Mild spice warmth, rich with coconut, a forward tomato note, underscored with turmeric. If you don't want to try cooking it yourself, do try it if you ever get to Kerala.