FISH ROE OMELET (PARINJILAPPAM)
First and foremost, in simple language it’s all about fish eggs….Memories go way back to when I was small. The monsoon season sets in during the month of June, it’s a down pour. Water rises in our nearby River Pampa. The gush of flowing water with the sand bed causes the water to turn red.With the heavy rain comes in lotsa fishes…fish harvest. I have good memories of my dad ,brother and friends catching sacksful of Thooli fish (scientific name is Labeodussumieri). Certain areas of the river gave us a better catch than the others and you could literally see the whole of the neighborhood piled up there. And when the time peaks, large fishes use to come in batches of few to dozens. The catch was shared with relatives , friends and neighbor’s. Nearly all female fishes were loaded with fish eggs.
Sharing with you today my memories as well as one of the best delicacy of Kerala, the fish roe omelet.
Ingredients
- Fish Roe – ½ Kg
- Shallots – a handful
- Ginger – 1 inch piece
- Garlic – ½ pod
- Green Chilies- 4 to 5
- Pepper powder – 1 teaspoon
- Curry leaves – few strands
- Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
- Egg – 1
- Shredded Coconut – ½ to 1 cup
- Salt to taste
- Oil as required
Instructions
Clean and mash the fish roe with hands. Finely chop shallots, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, green chilies and combine it with turmeric powder, pepper powder, salt and shredded coconut. Beat one egg and combine all the ingredients together. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Heat a tava, add little coconut oil. Pour a portion of the roe mix to make a thick appam. Cover and cook. Flip over carefully when one side is cooked. When the omelet is done and turned golden brown, slice the omelet into pieces.
You can serve it with as a starter with some freshly sliced onion rings and lemon, or as a side dish with rice or kappa.
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