Meen Peera, also known as Nethili Meen Avial in some parts of South India & Kerala is a delicious fish preparation with coconut, chillies, shallots & spices. This delicious fish is made with anchovies(nethili), raw mango & coconut masala. Learn how to make Kerala style meen peera with step by step pictures and video.
Nethili Meen Avial | Meen Peera
Meen peera is an easy recipe. It can be cooked in minutes, I mean it took me around 10 minutes to cook. Anchovies are tiny little fish that takes very less time to cook. This avial has so much flavour and taste amazing with steamed Kerala red rice. It has raw mangoes, which gives a tangy taste. The coconut masala is packed with chillies, cumin, pepper which adds wonderful aroma.
Table of Contents
About Meen Peera (Nethili Avial)
Meen peera is a Kerala dish in which fish is cooked in a coconut masala. It is also known as fish peera, nethili avial, netholi avial, netholi peera. The fish used in this dish is nethili meen also known as netholi or anchovies. But you can use sardines, or any fish of choice.
The coconut masala is made with dry red chillies, coriander seeds, shallots, black pepper, cumin seeds and tamarind. This coconut is mixed with fish, raw mangoes and cooked in a clay pot. Raw mangoes adds so much taste to nethili meen, check my mangai nethili kuzhambu.
Since nethili or anchovies is very delicate in texture, it cooks faster. You should never mix the fish too much else it may break and disintegrate. So the key is to mix the masala into the fish raw and then cook on heat till done. In the end a good drizzle of coconut oil and fresh curry leaves is added for flavour and aroma.
Similar Fish Recipes,
Watch Fish Peera | Nethili Avial Video
Meen Peera Ingredients
Nethili (Anchovies) - Anchovies or nethili fish is tiny fish which is delicate. Don't over mix or over cook, else it may fall apart and disintegrate. In this recipe, you can use any fish.
Raw Mango - use sour raw mangoes for best taste. Peel and slice then very thinly so it cooks faster along with the fish.
Coconut - you can use fresh or frozen coconut in this recipe.
Whole Spices - spices like pepper, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, dry red chillies and shallots is used for grinding.
Curry Leaves - main ingredient which adds flavour to any fish dish also it removes the fishy smell.
Coconut Oil - anchovies is not so oily fish, so it needs a good amount of coconut oil to be drizzled in the end.
How to Clean Nethili Fish (Anchovies)
Anchovies are delicate little fish that takes very less time to clean. Unlike other fish you don't have to peel the skin or remove scales. You need to gently pull the head and remove the innards.
I used small variety nethili fish (anchovies). You have to remove the head and guts (black innards) of the fish. It can be easily removed by gently twisting & pulling the fish head. Once it is cleaned, add it to an earthernware (clay pot) and rub gently to remove the silver scales. Wash it well in cold water. Strain in a colander and take it in a mud pot.
How to Make Meen Peera (Stepwise Pictures)
Coconut Masala
1)take fresh coconut in a blender. I chopped coconut into chunks and added in a blender. You can use freshly grated coconut. Add in dry red chillies to your taste. You can add more or less as per your taste.
2)Add in coriander seeds, peeled garlic cloves into the blender.
3)Add in whole black pepper, cumin seeds into the coconut.
4)Now add in turmeric powder and peeled chopped onions. You can use peeled shallots instead of onions too.
5)Grind the coconut mixture to a coarse paste without adding water. The mixture has to be coarsely ground.
Cleaning Nethili Fish
6)I used small variety nethili fish (anchovies). You have to remove the head and guts (black innards) of the fish. It can be easily removed by gently twisting & pulling the fish head. Once it is cleaned, add it to an earthern ware pot and rub gently to remove the silver scales. Wash it well in cold water. Strain in a colander and take it in a mud pot.
Mixing for Nethili Avial (peera)
7)Add in peeled and thinly sliced raw mango into the fish. The mango has to be sliced thinly because it has to be cooked at the same time of the fish is cooked.
8)Add in green chillies. I used the small variety of green chillies, so I added it whole. If you are using long green chillies, slit them lengthwise before using.
9)Add in a handful of fresh curry leaves.
10)Add in the freshly ground coconut masala.
11)Add in tamarind paste and salt to the mixture.
12)I added ¼ cup of water to the blender jar and swirled it around. Pour it back into the pot. Mix well.
13)Now press the mixture into the pot gently.
Cooking Nethili Avial (meen peera)
14)Place the pot on heat. Cover with lid. Now cook on high heat for 5 minutes.
15)The mixture will start to boil at this point like this.
16)Now use a spoon or a fork to gently mix the avial mixture. Don't mix too much, else the fish may break. Mix it gently.
17)Once the fish mixture is mixed gently, cover with lid again and cook on medium low heat for another 5 minutes.
Meen Peera (Nethili Avial) Finishing Touches
18)Now the fish and raw mango will be cooked completely. Add a handful of curry leaves and a good amount of coconut oil into the avial.
19)Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes.
20)Serve with rice.
Expert Tips
- Nethili or anchovies are tiny delicate fish. Don't over mix or over cook, else it may fall apart and disintegrate.
- Mix the masala with the fish and then start cooking.
- Coconut oil and curry leaves added in the end imparts so much flavour so don't skip that step.
- It is best to cook this in a clay pot, you can use any pot as you like.
- Slit drumsticks can be added in this dish too.
More Fish Recipes
📖 Recipe Card
Meen Peera | Nethili Meen Avial Recipe | Fish with Coconut
Equipment
- Clay Pot
- Blender
Ingredients
- 250 grams Nethili meen | Anchovies
- 2 tsp Tamarind paste
- 1 no Raw mango peeled and sliced thinly
- 4 no Green chillies slit
- 3 sprigs Curry leaves
- 3 tbsp Coconut oil
- Salt to taste
For grinding
- 1 cup Fresh Coconut
- 4 no Dry red chillies
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 6 no Sambar onion Shallots
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
Instructions
- Grind all the ingredients in the list to a coarse mixture. Don't add water when grinding. The mixture has to be dry and coarsely crushed. Set aside.
- Now take cleaned anchovies, sliced raw mango, slit green chillies, curry leaves, salt, tamarind paste in a kadai. Add the ground masala into the fish. Pour ¼ cup of water into the blender jar, swirl it around and add it into the fish.
- Use your hands to mix the coconut masala well with the fish. Press the fish into the mud kadai. Now Cover with a lid and put it over heat. Let it cook for 5 minutes on high heat covered. After 5 minutes open the lid, the mixture will be boiling. Now use a fork to gently mix the fish, don’t mix too much else the fish will break. Once it is mixed gently, cover again and cook on medium heat for 5 more minutes.
- Open the lid and check whether the fish is cooked. Turn off the heat, Now pour in coconut oil and a handful of curry leaves. Cover again and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Serve this with rice.
Video
Notes
- Nethili or anchovies are tiny delicate fish. Don't over mix or over cook, else it may fall apart and disintegrate.
- Mix the masala with the fish and then start cooking.
- Coconut oil and curry leaves added in the end imparts so much flavour so don't skip that step.
- It is best to cook this in a clay pot, you can use any pot as you like.
- Slit drumsticks can be added in this dish too.
Nutrition
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tamilsasikitchen
Lovely aarthi... Looks delicious..
Will try it soon with frozen anchovies....Happy Independece Day
Sharmilee! :)
This one sounds interesting...yummy aviyal
Vikis Kitchen
Nice curry dear. Makes me hungry:)
Anonymous
hi Aarthi
your recipes are too good thanks for sharing.can I use dry Nethili for this recipe.
naaz
Suja Manoj
Superb combo,my favorite.
Suja Manoj
Superb combo,my favorite.
Aarthi
@Anonymousyes u can use dry nethili too
Anonymous
your step by step description of cooking method is fantastic. it is easy for us to follow. Keep up the good work.
Esh
Very good one Aarthi...Try with a smaller Nethili it will be much more tasty...
Anil kumar
Add Drumsticks in length cut open too, Will add more tase.