This fragrant Fish in Banana Leaves recipe wraps tender pomfret in a spicy tamarind coating. The banana leaves maintain the fish moist whereas including a refined earthy taste. It is a conventional cooking methodology that creates one thing actually particular in your dinner desk.
Fish in Banana Leaves is a kind of recipes that makes cooking really feel like an journey. There’s one thing magical about unwrapping that banana leaf parcel to disclose completely cooked fish inside. The pomfret will get marinated with lime and spices, then coated in a tangy tamarind combination earlier than being wrapped up like a present. While you prepare dinner it, the banana leaves flip fantastically darkish and launch their light aroma into the fish. It’s a standard approach that house cooks have been utilizing for generations to lock in flavors and moisture.
Concerning the Recipe
This recipe brings restaurant-quality flavors proper to your private home kitchen. The mixture of tangy tamarind, fragrant spices, and tender pomfret creates layers of style that can shock you. Banana leaves act like pure parchment paper, steaming the fish whereas infusing it with their refined taste. The approach may appear fancy, but it surely’s really fairly forgiving for newcomers. You’ll love how the marinade tenderizes the fish whereas the spicy coating provides simply the correct quantity of warmth. It’s excellent for while you wish to impress friends or merely deal with your loved ones to one thing totally different.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The flavors on this dish are absolutely unimaginable. That tangy tamarind coating balances completely with the delicate sweetness of pomfret. And the banana leaves? They’re like nature’s personal cooking vessel, preserving every part moist and including their distinctive aroma. I really like how the fish comes out so tender you possibly can flake it with a fork. The spices create this lovely reddish coating that appears nearly as good because it tastes. Plus, there’s one thing actually satisfying about unwrapping your individual little meals parcel. Your kitchen will scent wonderful whereas it’s cooking, and your loved ones will assume you’re a culinary genius. The perfect half is watching individuals’s faces once they open these banana leaf packets on the dinner desk.
Â

Fish in Banana Leaves
Â
Cooking Suggestions
Be certain that your banana leaves are clear and pliable earlier than wrapping. Warmth them gently over medium flame to melt them up. Don’t skip the marinating time – these 20 minutes actually assist the flavors soak in. When frying the fish, maintain the oil at medium warmth so it doesn’t burn. The tamarind combination needs to be thick sufficient to coat the fish properly. Safe your banana leaf packets tightly with toothpicks so nothing leaks out throughout cooking.
Serving and Storing Solutions
This recipe serves 2 individuals completely and takes about 1 hour from begin to end. Serve it scorching proper from the banana leaves with steamed rice and a few pickled greens on the aspect. The fish tastes finest when eaten recent, however you possibly can retailer leftovers within the fridge for as much as 2 days. Simply reheat gently within the microwave or steam for a couple of minutes to heat by.
Nutrient Advantages
Pomfret is full of lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids which can be nice for coronary heart well being. Turmeric brings anti-inflammatory properties to the dish, whereas ginger aids digestion. The tamarind gives vitamin C and antioxidants. Banana leaves don’t add vitamins straight, however they assist retain the fish’s pure nutritional vitamins throughout cooking with out including any undesirable chemical compounds like some cooking papers may.

Fish in Banana Leaves
This fragrant Fish in Banana Leaves recipe wraps tender pomfret in a spicy tamarind coating. The banana leaves maintain the fish moist whereas including a refined earthy taste. It is a conventional cooking methodology that creates one thing actually particular in your dinner desk.
Elements
- 250 gms Pomfret (complete, cleaned, washed and drained)
- 1 Banana Leaves
- 1/2 cup Oil
- 1 Onion (chopped)
- 2 Inexperienced Chillies (chopped)
- Ginger (1 two inch piece, chopped)
- 4 cloves Garlic (chopped)
- 1/4 cup Tamarind Extract
- 1/8 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp Pink Chilli Powder
For the marinade:
- Juice of 1 Lime
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
- Salt as per style
Directions
-
Combine the marinade components and rub into fish.
-
Marinate for 20 minutes and maintain apart.
-
Warmth oil in a pan.
-
Deep fry the fish for 3 to five minutes on all sides.
-
Take away the fish from pan and maintain apart to empty.
-
Scale back oil to 1 tblsp.
-
Add onions, inexperienced chillies, ginger and garlic.
-
Fry until onions flip translucent.
-
Pour the tamarind extract.
-
Add turmeric powder, pink chilli powder and boil until combination thickens.
-
Coat the fish with combination and stuff with remaining combination.
-
Clear the banana leaf with a moist material on either side.
-
Dry and move over medium warmth to make it pliable.
-
Reduce into items giant sufficient to carry fish.
-
Wrap fish in banana leaves and use toothpicks to safe.
-
Roast on a scorching tawa on all sides for 4 to five minutes or steam prepare dinner for 4 to five minutes, until banana leaves flip blackish brown.
-
Serve scorching.
Join our publication
Add Superior Delicacies as a Most well-liked Supply
Often Requested Questions
Can I take advantage of different fish as a substitute of pomfret for this recipe?
Sure, you possibly can substitute pomfret with different agency white fish like snapper, sea bass, and even salmon. Simply be certain the fish is recent and agency sufficient to deal with the marinating and wrapping course of with out falling aside.
The place can I discover banana leaves in the event that they’re not accessible domestically?
Examine Asian grocery shops, Indian markets, or Mexican meals shops. You may also organize them on-line. Should you can’t discover them, use parchment paper or aluminum foil, although you’ll miss the distinctive taste that banana leaves present.
What can I substitute for tamarind extract on this recipe?
You should use lime juice blended with a little bit brown sugar, or strive white vinegar with a pinch of sugar. Pomegranate molasses additionally works properly. The purpose is to get that tangy, barely candy taste that tamarind gives.
How do I do know when the fish is correctly cooked contained in the leaves?
The banana leaves will flip darkish brown and barely charred. The fish ought to flake simply when examined with a fork. Should you’re uncertain, unwrap one packet rigorously and verify – the fish needs to be opaque and cooked by.