Parsi Patra ni Machhi — Fish in Banana Leaf Steam Parcel (पतरा ना मछी)

Ingredients

• 4 pomfret (Stromateus argenteus or Chinese pomfret, Stromateus sinensis), whole, cleaned, scored on both sides
• 2–3 banana leaves, large, enough to wrap each fish fully
• For the green chutney
• 60 g fresh coriander, leaves and tender stems
• 80 g fresh coconut, grated; not desiccated
• 2–3 green chillies, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 30 ml lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste

Method

1. 1
   Pass banana leaves individually over a gas flame or electric burner at medium heat, moving each leaf steadily so that it wilts uniformly on both sides, because a leaf that has been warmed through evenly becomes pliable enough to wrap without cracking at the fold. The leaf should become slightly darkened and release a faint grassy aroma. Any section left rigid will split the moment it is folded over the fish.
2. 2
   Combine the fresh coriander, grated fresh coconut, green chillies, cumin seeds, lime juice, sugar, and salt in a blender or grinding stone and process to a thick, cohesive paste. Work it until it is dense enough to hold its shape on a tilted spoon without running — this is the test — because a loose paste will slide off the fish inside the parcel and pool at the bottom of the leaf rather than cling to the flesh through steaming.
3. 3
   Lay each cleaned pomfret on a section of wilted banana leaf and apply the green chutney generously to both sides of the fish, pressing the paste firmly into the scored cuts so that the chutney penetrates the flesh rather than sitting only on the surface. This is where the dish lives or dies: a thin or careless coating will dry against the leaf during steaming, and the characteristic moist, chutney-soaked surface — the whole point of the parcel — cannot be recovered once the heat has done its work. The layer must be thick and even all the way to the tail and head.
4. 4
   Fold the banana leaf firmly over the fish to form a sealed parcel, tucking the ends underneath, then secure with toothpicks or kitchen twine at both ends and across the seam so that no gap remains. A loose or open parcel allows steam to escape, which means the chutney moisture cannot build up inside the leaf and baste the fish as it cooks. The parcel should feel taut when you press it.
5. 5
   Place the parcels in a steamer basket over briskly boiling water and steam at full pressure for 15–18 minutes, adjusting for fish thickness, so that the heat drives through the leaf and the chutney layer to reach the centre of the flesh without overcooking the outer meat. The parcel will feel firm and slightly resistant when pressed — the flesh has set. At the edges of the leaf, a faint sweet note from the sugar caramelising against the heated banana leaf should be detectable as a sign that the parcel has been properly hot throughout.
6. 6
   Remove the parcels from the steamer and open one at the table, peeling the leaf back to reveal fish coated in a vivid green, moist chutney with a faint caramelised edge where the paste met the leaf. The flesh should flake cleanly from the bone under slight pressure. Serve directly from the leaf.