Meen Puttu is a traditional dish made in TamilNadu made from shredded fish. The dish is a good way to make kids eat fish as it is mildly spicy. Puttu can be made from types for fish
Sura(Milk Shark)
Vaalaimeen(Ribbon Fish)
Sura Meen Puttu
This puttu is good for lactation. This is easy to do as the fish has a thick skin and it only has the center bone. For making puttu from this fish,it has to be simmered so that the sogginess is completely gone and it is dry.
Vaalaimeen Puttu
This fish is easy to shred but has very fine bones which have to be discarded while shredding. We will look at puttu made from this specific fish.
Preparation Time : 15 Mins
Cooking Time : 20 Mins
Total Time : 35 Mins
Ingredients
Vaalai Meen - 2 Kg
Onion - 2 big pieces
Curry Leaves - 2 strands
Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp
Green Chilli - 4 to 5 pieces
Salt - as needed
Garam Masala - 1/2 tbsp
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Method
Clean the fish and steam cook it for 10 mins, This will make the fish become tender soft.
Once the fish cools to room temperature segregate the bones from the fish
Shred the fish in a bowl. The shredded fish should be of a consistency similar to a bread crumb. It can be done by rubbing with your fingers
Cut Onions lengthwise
Slit the greenchillis
Take a Kadai, Pour Oil and heat it
Once heated, Add onion, Green chillis & Curry Leaves and stir them until the onions becomes translucent
Add Shredded fish
Add Salt, grated coconut, turmeric powder & Garam Masala and stir them.
Simmer the stove and allow the mixture to blend up together until the sogginess is gone.
Let it simmer for five minutes and turn off the stove
Serve Hot, goes good with the sambhar rice.
Pictorial
Your ingredients.
Clean the fish & steam cook for 10 mins.
Discard the bones from the fish once its cooled down.
Shred the fish by rubbing the cooked fish with finger till a consistency similar to bread crumbs.
Take a Kadai, pour oil and add onion, green chill and curry leaves. Stir until onions turns translucent.
Add the shredded fish, grated coconut, turmeric powder, salt & garam masala and give a nice toss. Simmer it in the stove till the mixture is looses all sogginess and becomes dry. This may take around 5 mins.
Serve with sambar satham.
Tips
Vaalai Meen has tiny bones so while shredding make sure to remove all the bones to avoid discomfort while eating
Steam the fish to have a the fish tender soft
If using Sura fish make sure to shred them fine. If unable to do by hand please shred it using 1 pulse mode in a mixer. You might have to let the puttu simmer more as it has more moisture content to reduce the sogginess.