Marinate fish pieces with 1/2 spoon turmeric powder, 1/2 spoon chilli powder and salt as required for at least 30 minutes. Shallow fry them and drain it over kitchen towel
Soak tamarind in water for at least 20 minutes. Keep other things ready.
In a blender/mixie jar add 1 spoon saunf, 1 spoon jeera, 1 spoon pepper corns
Add shallots, ginger, green chillies
And garlic and grind coarsely
Then open the mixie jar/blender and add tomatoes and grind them and keep the paste aside.
In another pan add 4 spoons of coconut oil and add 1 spoon of mustard seeds and let it spluter. Then add finely chopped onions and 2 sprigs of curry leaves and fry the onions till it is golden brown
Then add the grinded paste and saute for 2 minutes
Then add salt, kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and saute for 2 minutes. Then add tamarind juice and saute till raw smell goes off and keep the masala ready
Now heat a banana leaf over gas stove and soften it. Do not overburn. This step is to ensure that the banana leaf doesn't tear off when assembling. Spread a layer of onion tomato masala over the banana leaf
Then place the fish pieces over it and also top some more masala over the fish. Add some raw onions on top
And some curry leaves and wrap the banana leaf tightly(not very tight) but without gaps and tie it with a thread
In a tawa add 3 spoons coconut oil and place the wrapped fish pocket. Cover and cook on both sides for 10 minutes each on medium high flame.
Take it off from stove. Cut the threads and open the fish and relish the flavours of Fish Polichathu
