Fish dishes like ‘meen mulakittathu’ truly shine when using freshwater species, but cleaning them, especially varieties like ‘koori’ (catfish), ‘koori vala’ (basa), ‘chillan’ (mystus), and ‘manja koori’ (sun catfish), can be quite challenging due to their slippery nature. Removing scales traditionally involves scraping against a granite rock, a laborious process.
Fortunately, there’s a simpler method:
1. Take water in a vessel and add Malabar tamarind (kudampuli).
2. Mix well and heat the water on a stove.
3. Pour the mildly warm water over the uncleaned fish in an earthen pan.
4. Ensure there’s enough water to fully immerse the fish.
5. Let the fish soak in the warm water for about 10 minutes.
6. Afterward, remove the fish from the water and trim its tail and side parts with scissors.
7. The scales can now be easily removed by scraping with scissors or a scrubber.
8. Within minutes, the slippery texture and impurities vanish, leaving the fish with a whitish appearance.
This method simplifies the otherwise challenging task of cleaning slippery freshwater fish, enhancing the preparation of dishes like ‘meen mulakittathu’.
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