Kerala Indian · Dinner

Meen moilee

Name: Meen moilee
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Kerala Indian
Ingredients: 2 pounds skinless kingfish, halibut, or cod, cut in 2-inch pieces; 1 teaspoon turmeric, divided; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided; 1 tablespoon lime juice, plus 1 tablespoon to finish; 3 tablespoons coconut oil; 1 small cinnamon stick; 4 green cardamom pods, cracked; 4 cloves; 1 teaspoon coarsely crushed black pepper, divided; 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced; 2 tablespoons julienned ginger; 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 3 green chiles, slit lengthwise; 16 curry leaves, divided; 1 medium tomato, cut in thin wedges; 1 1/2 cups thin coconut milk; 3/4 cup thick full-fat coconut milk; 12 appams

Firm fish in a mild Kerala coconut-milk stew scented with ginger, green chile, curry leaves, tomato, pepper, and lime.

About 1 hrTotal

About 45 minActive

$$Cost

ModerateDifficulty

Makes 6 servings

Equipment

Use another covered 12-inch oven-safe skillet or transfer before the oven finish.
Best large covered skillet
All-Clad D3 12-Inch Fry Pan with Lid · 41126
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Use another covered 12-inch oven-safe skillet or transfer before the oven finish.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched the twelve-inch footprint, fitted lid, tri-ply heat distribution, 600°F oven and broiler rating, current model 41126 and UPC, ownership burden, and exact Amazon identity. Kwilt has not cooked with this pan.
All-Clad D3 12-Inch Fry Pan with Lid · 41126: Its twelve-inch cooking surface gives rice, shrimp, meat, and vegetables room to cook evenly, while the fitted lid and 600°F oven rating cover both the lidded stovetop method and the shepherd's-pie oven finish. Trade-off: It is a premium-priced pan, food can stick without sound preheating and fat control, and the long handle plus lid need more storage room than a basic skillet.
Another workable path: Use another oven-safe 12-inch skillet with a well-fitting lid; if the handle has a lower heat limit, transfer oven-finished food to a suitable baking dish.
Sources
All-Clad model 41126 specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 6 servings

2 pounds skinless kingfish, halibut, or cod, cut in 2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon turmeric, divided
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 tablespoon lime juice, plus 1 tablespoon to finish
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 small cinnamon stick
4 green cardamom pods, cracked
4 cloves
1 teaspoon coarsely crushed black pepper, divided
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons julienned ginger
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 green chiles, slit lengthwise
16 curry leaves, divided
1 medium tomato, cut in thin wedges
1 1/2 cups thin coconut milk
3/4 cup thick full-fat coconut milk
12 appams

Instructions

Coat fish with half the turmeric, half the salt, and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Refrigerate 15 minutes while preparing the stew.
Heat coconut oil in a . Bloom cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and half the pepper for 30 seconds. Add onion, ginger, garlic, green chiles, and half the curry leaves; cook gently until onion is translucent, not brown, 6 minutes.
Add tomato and remaining turmeric and salt and cook just until tomato begins to soften, 3 minutes. Pour in thin coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes.
Nestle fish in one layer, cover, and poach at the barest simmer without stirring until it reaches 145°F and flakes in large pieces, 6 to 9 minutes; swirl the pan if needed.
Lower heat fully and stir thick coconut milk around the fish without boiling. Finish with remaining lime juice, pepper, and curry leaves and serve with appams.

Kerala, IndiaKerala coastal and Syrian Christian cooking

From the table

About this recipe

Meen moilee, fish molee, or fish molly is a mild Kerala fish stew associated especially with Syrian Christian cooking and built around pale coconut milk, ginger, green chile, and gentle warm spice.

Meen moilee, also written fish molee or molly, is a mild Kerala fish stew associated especially with Syrian Christian cooking. Unlike the preceding red Goan curry, its character is pale coconut milk, green chile, ginger, and gentle warm spice. Thick coconut milk enters late to remain smooth. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Use Kerala-authored technique agreement rather than overweighting a tiny rating sample, preserve the thin-to-thick coconut sequence, and explicitly distinguish this mild stew from neighboring red fish curries.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe

Keep recipes, plan meals, and build the grocery list in Kwilt.

Use the recipe here. Get Kwilt when you want the rest of dinner to stay together.

Get Kwilt for iPhone

See every recipe

Kerala chicken ishtu with bone-in chicken, potato, carrot, peas, curry leaves, and cashews in pale coconut-milk broth beside appam.

Kerala Indian · Dinner

Kerala chicken stew

A gentle Kerala ishtu of bone-in chicken, potato, carrot, and whole spices in pale coconut milk, finished with curry leaves and golden shallots.

About 1 hr 10 min6 servings

Deeply browned herb roast chicken carved beside glossy pan gravy, lemon, onion, and fresh herbs.

American · Dinner

Herb roast chicken with pan gravy

Dry-brined whole chicken with deeply browned skin, rosemary-sage butter, tender breast and legs, and a silky gravy built from its fond and defatted drippings.

About 14 hr 50 min6 servings

Fork-tender pot roast with browned edges, carrots, potatoes, onions, and silky dark gravy.

American · Dinner

Slow-braised pot roast

Hard-seared chuck roast braised low and slow with red wine, stock, tomato, thyme, carrots, and potatoes until spoon-tender, then finished with a reduced silky gravy.

About 4 hr 55 min8 servings