All my vegetarian friends are going to be excited about this week’s recipe; as I promised last week it’s going to be their version of Fish Moilee. Yeah, I tried the vegan version of Kottayam’s special fish curry, Fish Moilee as Broccoli Moilee. Believe me, it was a super hit, kids who are sceptical about eating Broccoli also wouldn’t mind feasting on this. It’s such a finger-licking coconut milk-based curry.
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I came up with the theme of No-ferment pancake/dosa varieties of all 4 southern states for this month. I posted Kerala Malabar Pathiri and Mix-veg Neypathiri in line with the theme. As an accompaniment to these flatbreads- Pathiri and Neypathal/Porichapathiri. I posted Fish Moilee, last week which is an excellent match.
What is Vegan Broccoli Moilee? – when I was preparing Fish Moilee last week, I was ruminating about the idea of a veg option to satisfy my veg followers. Thinking about the substitute for fish, I wanted it to be unique as well as an apt choice. Then I was struck with the choice of Broccoli which is rarely considered for gravies. Then what next, nothing could stop me from trying this recipe, as I believed much in its output, which ultimately turned out to be a classy, creamy curry.
To the newbies who are hearing fish moilee for the first time, it’s a unique fish curry that stands apart from other fish curries in Kerala. In short, this Meen Moilee is a stew kind of curry, which is creamy, coconut-ty, and subtly flavoured. Creamy texture from coconut milk, slight sourness from lemon, nutty flavour from coconut oil with understated spices. In a nutshell, it’s a delicacy and should not be missed. If you are a non-vegetarian, then click here for the recipe.
History of its name and origin– it has an interesting story behind its invention. During the Portuguese colonization, this delicacy was created by a Keralite woman named Molly/Moilee to please the Portuguese’s palate. They couldn’t handle the heat of red chillies and peppers in Kerala’s fish curries. This dish was bliss for them, as this lady prepared a fish stew with little green chillies and black pepper, predominantly with coconut milk which had subtle flavours and was super creamy. Portuguese were so gratified that they named this dish after this lady, Fish Molly/Moilee. Keralites call it Meen Moilee, where meen translates to Fish.
It requires minimal ingredients and can be prepared instantly with minimal preparation. The only effort to be put in is for the coconut milk preparation. Rest is breezy.
In Broccoli Moilee, the preparation almost remains the same, except for the change in the protagonist, Mr Fish’s role is taken by Ms Broccoli. Sounds fascinating!!! The addition of vinegar in the Broccoli marination, takes the bland veggie to next level, with an extra citric punch to the flavour. Though lemon juice can also be added, trust me, go with vinegar, which elevates broccoli’s flavour extraordinarily.
After boasting so much, with no further delay, let’s kickstart the preparation.
Cut the broccoli into medium-sized florets, blanch in hot water, drain, squeeze and pat dry it thoroughly using kitchen tissue to absorb extra moisture. Add 1 tsp vinegar to the dried broccoli on a plate and apply it evenly on both sides, let it sit for 10 minutes.
Prepare a paste with 1 tsp chilli powder, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ¼ tsp salt, and 1 tsp vinegar. Here, I used apple cider vinegar. You can try any vinegar of your choice, but make sure it’s sharp enough.
Smear this uniformly onto the Broccoli florets. Let it marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes or more.
After the given time, shallow fry it in medium flame for 2 minutes on each side. Fry in coconut oil to impart an earthy flavour to the dish. Keep it aside.
In another wide-bottomed pan, add ¼ cup of coconut oil, then temper with ¼ tsp of fennel seeds, 1” cinnamon, and 2 cardamoms, then add 1 cup of sliced onion, a little salt, and sauté for a couple of minutes or till it becomes translucent.
Prepare a paste by grinding ginger, garlic, and green chillies, and add 2 tbsp of this paste to the sautéed onion.
Stir well, then close and cook for 2 minutes on medium-low flame, to get rid of the raw smell. Then open and stir it to make sure it’s not burnt. Split 1 cup of sliced tomatoes into 2 portions, and add the first half now, while sautéing the gravy, retain the second portion to add at the end.
Then add ½ tsp of turmeric powder, mix well, and then add 1 ½ cup thin coconut milk.
Close and cook for 3 minutes on medium-low flame. After the given time, open, stir and lower the flame. Finally add 1 cup thick coconut milk, ½ tsp black pepper powder, and a pinch of garam masala along with the shallow fried Broccoli.
Do not use a ladle to mix, instead gently swirl the pan to coat the gravy onto the veggie. Let it simmer for 2 minutes on low flame.
Later, switch off the flame. Add the remaining ½ cup of tomato slices, swirl to mix, and then close for a minute.
Finally, add 1 tsp of lemon juice. If you are using vinegar, then adjust the quantity according to your palate’s requirements.
Creamy, coco-nutty, subtly flavoured vegan version of Kottayam special Moilee is ready to be served with Pathiri, Neypathiri, Mappilai samba appam, and Palak poori.
This creamy moilee has a blend of sour flavour from vinegar, and a nutty flavour from coconut oil with a slight hint of understated spices. As I mentioned early, it’s a heavenly delicacy, not to be missed.
Recipe card
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 16- 18 minutes
Cuisine: South Indian, Kerala
Category: Curries
Serves: 4-5
Author: Manimala
Ingredients:
For Marination-
Broccoli florets – 200 g
Vinegar – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt – ¼ tsp
Coconut oil – 2 tbsp
For gravy-
Coconut oil – ¼ cup
Fennel seeds – ¼ tsp
Cinnamon – 1”
Cardamom – 2
Sliced onion – 1 cup
Ginger+garlic+green chilli paste – 2 tbsp
Sliced Tomato – 1 cup
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Thin Coconut milk – 1 ½ cup
Thick Coconut milk – 1 cup
Black pepper powder – ½ tsp
Garam masala – a pinch
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Instructions-
- Cut the broccoli into medium-sized florets, blanch in hot water, drain, squeeze and pat dry it thoroughly using kitchen tissue to absorb extra moisture.
- Add 1 tsp vinegar to the dried broccoli on a plate and apply it evenly on both sides, let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Prepare a paste with 1 tsp chilli powder, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ¼ tsp salt, and 1 tsp vinegar. Here, I used apple cider vinegar. You can try any vinegar of your choice, but make sure it’s sharp enough.
- Smear this uniformly onto the Broccoli florets. Let it marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes or more.
- After the given time, shallow fry it in medium flame for 2 minutes on each side. Fry in coconut oil to impart an earthy flavour to the dish. Keep it aside.
- In another wide-bottomed pan, add ¼ cup of coconut oil, then temper with ¼ tsp of fennel seeds, 1” cinnamon, and 2 cardamoms, then add 1 cup of sliced onion, a little salt, and sauté for a couple of minutes or till it becomes translucent.
- Prepare a paste by grinding ginger, garlic, and green chillies, and add 2 tbsp of this paste to the sautéed onion.
- Stir well, then close and cook for 2 minutes on medium-low flame, to get rid of the raw smell. Then open and stir it to make sure it’s not burnt.
- Split 1 cup of sliced tomatoes into 2 portions, and add the first half now, while sautéing the gravy, retain the second portion to add at the end.
- Then add ½ tsp of turmeric powder, mix well, and then add 1 ½ cup thin coconut milk.
- Close and cook for 3 minutes on medium-low flame.
- After the given time, open, stir and lower the flame.
- Finally add 1 cup thick coconut milk, ½ tsp black pepper powder, and a pinch of garam masala along with the shallow fried Broccoli.
- Do not use a ladle to mix, instead gently swirl the pan to coat the gravy onto the veggie.
- Let it simmer for 2 minutes on low flame.
- Later, switch off the flame. Add the remaining ½ cup of tomato slices, swirl to mix, and then close for a minute.
- Finally, add 1 tsp of lemon juice. If you are using vinegar, then adjust the quantity according to your palate’s requirements.
- Creamy, coco-nutty, subtly flavoured vegan version of Kottayam special Moilee is ready to be served with Pathiri, Neypathiri, Mappilai samba appam, and Palak poori. This creamy moilee has a blend of sour flavour from vinegar, and a nutty flavour from coconut oil with a slight hint of understated spices. As I mentioned early, it’s a heavenly delicacy, not to be missed.
Notes:
- While marinating, lemon can be substituted for vinegar. If you are using lemon, increase the quantity, as it’ll be less citric than vinegar.
- Coconut oil complements the flavour of coconut milk. You can replace it with other oils as well.
- To prepare 1 cup thick coconut milk and 1 ½ cup thin coconut milk, you’ll need 2 cups of freshly grated coconut.
- Pro-tip- soak the grated coconut in hot water for a while to more efficiently extract milk from it.
- After adding Broccoli, do not use the ladle. Only swirl the pan gently, this avoids the veggie from disintegrating.
- You can try this Veg Moilee with Cauliflower, Paneer, Potato, Mushrooms, and Tofu. Blanch the veggie inclusion wherever needed or skip it, like for Paneer and Tofu.