Good evening Ladies!
Will you all be interested in some Indian cooking today? A very easy Indian Recipe rather that’s also a winner? A super easy, flavorful Indian fish recipe that is a no brainer and a sure shot? Yes? Very well then. We have fish made the Mumbai style here at ours and methinks its tangy taste is worth sharing!
You see, I am a Bengali getting married to a Maharashtrian from the Konkan coast! Do you even know what that translates to? We eat a lot of fish. We love fish in every form and give us some fish curry and rice or in his case (Bhakri- which is a “roti” made from rice flour) and we will deny Crème brûlée. But however similar our food habits are, our palettes are as different as Mumbai from Darjeeling. You can not even drill in a comparison! They like coconut in pretty much everything, we like black caraway and mustard oil. They like onions in fish, we look at it as you’d look at someone having biryani with mayonnaise. It’s a big “god, they eat X in everything” and “eeek, Y oil in fish is a disaster” story that has no cure. But honestly speaking, I appreciate both cuisines.
While Maharashtrian cuisine is more open and quick and fail proof, Bengali food is all about details and subtlety. While Prawns made with Vataan (a paste made of toasted coconut and onion) is delicious, “Ilish macher kolapaturi” (Hilsa in mustard, smoked in banana leaf) is just heavenly. I have a palette for both and I find the taste of both very satisfying! Of course there are some Maharashtrian preparation I cant stand but I’m sure there are some Bengali ones that Rohan can’t stand either. Best part is we both appreciate what’s tasty. We are not very culturally stuck- and that applies beyond food as well.
So, anyway, when the other day I kind of craved for fish, I took home 2 slices of fish from the market- I was the only one to eat with Rohan being away In Thailand, I thought I’ll give Malvani style a try. Malvani is basically a dialect of Konkani with significant Marathi influences. You can define it as the Creole between Konkani and Marathi and its got a very prominant cuisine that has recently taken this country by storm. Suddenly everyone’s talking about Malvani cooking and it was too much temptation to not try!
Tangy, strong and unfailingly red (and sometimes really hot) this is a fish curry to die for. Best part is I ate it with fresh bread and it tasted great!
Ready for some Indian love then?
Fish Curry Ingredient:
Fish (boneless/with bone/any) 500 gms
mustard seeds (optional) 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Coriander seeds 2 tsps
Red chilies whole 4-5
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Onions 2 medium sized
Tomato 1 medium sized
Tamarind 1 marble sized ball (Asian stores/lemon juice)
Coconut (scraped) 3/4 cup
Peppercorns 6-8
Oil 3 tbsp
Directions
Okay, now I kind of like to cook step by step and I like my recipe organized. I highly recommend taking out 4 bowls in your counter before you begin. Trust me it helps.
1st, grind one onion with scraped coconut and peppercorn into a coarse paste.
2nd, chop one onion, chop tomatoes and keep aside.
3rd, roast cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan and grind them with 1 red chili into a powder. Now, you can use store bought cumin and coriander powder but the smell will be altered. Roasting seeds release the oils in them which is also responsible for their aroma.
4th soak some tamarind in water and take the pulp out (Take store bought. Tastes just the same)
Once you have your 3 steps clear and at hand, begin your fish.
Wash and keep your fish (boneless, with bone, any will do)
Heat some oil in a pan and let your mustard seeds splutter. Add chopped onions and sauté till pink. Once it turns pink and translucent add chopped tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are cooked and soft, add your powdered “masala”, salt and a pinch of sugar. Cook the content till it releases some oil on the sides. Once it starts leaving oil, add coconut paste, stir and add 2 cups of water.
Let it boil away fro about 5-8 minutes before you add your fish.
Cook your fish for 5 minutes on medium heat and add your tamarind paste.
Let it simmer for another 5 before you serve.
Serving Suggestion: Steamed Basmati Rice/brown rice/ fresh bread.
Enjoy people!