Minced Fish Curry

Minced Fish Curry 

And so we are in our 4th week of the lovely event from our group Kolkata Food Bloggers called 'Know your Blogger 2' This week our star blogger is Indrani who blogs from Recipe Junction. My interaction with Indrani has been completely virtual but from her huge collection of recipes it is quite apparent that our lady in question is a passionate cook.

She is one of the most active people I have come across. After all not many people manage 3 kids , a household and a beautiful food blog.

Now I have been away from home for quite sometime and so upon my return to Calcutta the first thing I wanted to have was the river fish we get here in Bengal.

Indrani's Fish keema  seemed the perfect dish since it is one dish which goes well with rice, Flat-bread or yeast  breads. Keema is the hindi and Bengali word for minced. It usually applies to red meat or chicken and so this came across as quite unique.

I made it on an evening when I was dead tired after my usual visit to New market for fresh fruits, amazing pork from kalman's and a meet with a dear friend and the thing about this recipe is that its quick and easy which anyone can make no matter how tired they are.

I did change the spice quotient as per my taste buds but the end result was relished by our family.

So here goes the recipe :-

4 medium pieces of Rohu Fish
1 medium tomato
1 medium potato
1 medium onion
1 tbsp smooth ginger garlic paste
Salt as per taste
1 tsp Kashmiri red Chili powder
1 clove
1 green cardamom
1 inch cinnamon
1 green chili
2 tsp mustard oil
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
Pinch of turmeric

Boil the fish in water with a tiny bit of salt and once done take the fish out and smash it with a fork and let it cool down. In the meantime make a smooth paste of ginger and garlic and then make a smooth paste of the tomato and finely chop the onion and cube the potato in small sized cubes. Reserve the water in which you have boiled the fish.

Once the mashed fish cools down carefully take out every thin bone. It takes a bit of patience but is well worth the effort for the end result.

Now heat the oil and add the onions and fry till translucent and add the ginger garlic paste and cook till you get rid of the raw smell and add the tomato paste and cook on medium heat stirring continuously till the colour changes to a deep red and add the spices after crushing them along with the bay leaf , red chili powder salt and turmeric and finally add the potatoes and mix well and add the water in which you have boiled the fish and cook covered till the potatoes are cooked add the mashed fish and green chili and mix well and cook uncovered till you a semi dry mixture, add the finely chopped coriander leaves  and serve with Chapati or rice or even bread.

Tip

Be careful while adding salt when cooking the fish because the water in which you have boiled the fish will already contain some amount of salt.

This is part of

Fish in Lemon Sauce

Fish in Lemon Sauce

I personally believe that the success of a dish depends 85% on its taste , 5% on presentation and 10% on the emotions attached to it. While dishes do have the power to transform a bad day into a better one I a dish with the special addition of memories makes the experience of having the dish even better.

Lets be clear on one fact though, a dish cannot simply succeed on the emotions attached to it. The base should be its taste.

I funnily come from a strange family where praises are hardly ever given or received other than those rare occasions  . To be fair most daughters will claim that their mothers are the best cooks in the world. I make no such claim. I grew up with a radically independent mother who was good at organizing trips had immense pride not to be confused with arrogance and was honest and tough. She would consciously avoid the kitchen just because she felt like it and then there would be those rare occasions when she would cook which I mostly did not take an interest in because when I was young I had a problem with most dishes until the age of 15 years.


My mother might not have cooked but she gave me some of the most memorable times which usually remains buried and sometimes come out with a force which you cannot look away from be it those Saturdays when she would bring home those sandwiches for the mother and the daughter or the trips to the Museums but then the memories which I love looking at are of our tiny family of three going out for Chinese cuisine once every week. Calcutta can boast of a long and strong association with Chinese cuisine courtesy of the Chinese population who made Calcutta their home centuries ago . As a result you get some of the best Chinese dishes in Calcutta.

Hau Hua was one such Chinese eatery which we loved. Soon I was deeply involved with swimming which sadly put a stop to our beautiful family outings. It was around this time when I was about 11 years or so that my mother suddenly started making Chinese dishes just a few but what I remember was how astonished I was with those dishes. You see while most of the girls at school would bring these lovely lunch boxes prepared lovingly by their mothers I used to carry the same old boring lunch box of bread and butter with some fruit which was sometimes changed for a cake or so. I was honestly jealous of the girls who would brag about how well their mothers cook be it the sandwiches or fried rice and then my mother did something which made me realize that I had a gem of a cook at home.

There she was the one who never entered the kitchen whipping up exact replicas of Hau Hua's dishes. She mostly stuck to 3 dishes but boy were they amazing, neither oily nor with the overpowering taste of garlic and ginger it was just perfect and my mother was definitely not modest about the dishes. Sure she take hours to prepare a dish but when she did they came out perfect.

Much later in life I realized why my mother could make such amazing dishes despite not entering the kitchen too often. Cooking those dishes was not an obligation for her. Of course everyone cooks out of love but her greatest strength was  her desire for perfection without the burden of obligation. She was free , more free than a bird.

She could take hours chopping the carrots as thinly as possible without any hurry or worry. This merry time lasted a short while till I became a difficult teenager and then I developed this intense passion for cooking which I cannot say I got from my mother but then the woman did make some of the best Chinese dishes that there ever can be. So here I am sharing one of her recipes which I altered just a bit and it all comes from memories because my mother never wrote it down and when I recently asked her to make it she said she has forgotten which is a complete lie since her memory is like an elephant's but I guess those times of abandoning  homework on the sly (she would be furious if I abandoned homework) to take a sneak peak at how she makes it  is finally paying off.

She would usually use chicken but I used basa to make Fish in lemon sauce because we Bengalis love our fish and Chinese food and with the famous Durga Puja round the corner this is part of Kolkata Food Blogger's Puja event Durga Puja Bhuri Bhoj 

Here is the recipe which serves 2 :-

200gm to 250gm of Basa or any other boneless fillet
2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
2 tbsp scallion (the leaves alone)
2 tbsp cornflour
Salt as per taste
2 bird eye chili (My mother would not use this but I found it to increase the flavour)
2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4th cup water

2 tbsp oil

Simply make a course paste of the ginger and garlic and then marinate the fish for 1 hour with salt, 1 tbsp lemon juice and the juice from the ginger garlic paste and reserve the rest of the paste for the sauce .

Now coat the fish with 1.5 tbsp cornflour and shallow fry in  2 tbsp oil till its golden on both sides and in the same pan add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a while taking care not to burn it. Add half the chopped scallion and saute and add 1/2 cup water. Now take 1 tsp cornflour in the bowl in which you have marinated the fish and 1/4th cup water bit by bit to make sure that the cornflour dissolves without leaving any lump and add a bit of salt and add this to the pan and bring to a boil and check the level of salt and add more if required and then add the fish and chopped bird eye chili and simmer for 5 minutes and add the remaining  lemon juice and simmer for another 3 minutes to 5 minutes  .

Serve with plain white rice

Tips :-

Lemon juice should only be added right at the end of simmering else it might make the sauce bitter.

Batter Fried Fish (Bengali style)

Batter Fried Fish (Bengali style) 

This post is special for a number of reasons. You see sometimes you need a bit of push to do what you love the most. So here is the deal. With Kolkata Food Blogger's 'Durga Puja Bhuri Bhoj  I got  the right kind of inspiration to make this dish. 

The point is that,  you may take the girl away from Calcutta but you can't take the fish away from her. Yes my dear readers I am in a fish heaven. I was initially apprehensive about Bombay aka Mumbai because it was unfamiliar territory for me but once I discovered the local supermarket which might not have the fish that I am familiar with in Calcutta but has a world of delightful fish, there is fresh Sardine and Mackerel and fresh Tuna. Oh I was excited and delighted.

Now the point is these fish gives you the opportunity to make wonderful healthy meals especially suitable for salads, pasta etc . Back home most of the fish we eat is fresh water fish and has tiny bones all over them and it is a delight for Bengalis to eat those fish and take out the bones while eating but they don't give too much of opportunity to be cooked in any other form than the traditional Bengali recipes which has its own charm but then no other fish can take the place of the sweet 'Bhetki' a large fish with a single bone which is mostly used for fillets and it is this same fish which is used for the famous Bengali fish fry (breadcrumb coated deep fried fillets ) or the batter fried fish served on special occasions.

With the famous festival round the corner I was thinking how lovely it would have been to indulge in some batter fried fish but all I had in the house was basa fish which has its own delight but then for me batter fried fish instantly meant the Bhetki fish. While I was preparing myself to indulge in some nostalgia I realized there are a million other Bengalis who are away from home craving batter fried fish. While the taste of bhetki cannot be imitated I have heard about Tialpia being its replacement but to be fair neither did the fish market have tilapia this particular day nor was bhetki available and so I used basa .

So this recipe I dedicate to all those people who have had to make a home away from home.

Wait there is more. I have a creamy lemony homemade dip for the batter fried fish as well.

Before I share a recipe I must tell you about my friend Pritha , a lady with amazing culinary enthusiasm. Check out her delightful recipe for Bengali Fish Croquets (Macher Chop) another delightful Bengali indulgence to be taken with a cup of tea or just like that

Serves 2

For the Batter fried fish

Marination :-

200gm Boneless fillet (While its ideal to use Bhetki you can use any boneless fish fillet)
2 tsp smooth garlic paste
1.5 tsp smooth ginger paste
Half a medium sized onion
2 green chilies
Salt as per taste
2 tsp oil

For the batter :-

3 tbsp all purpose flour
1.5 tbsp gram flour
1 tbsp rice flour
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp hot oil
Pinch of salt

Oil for frying

For the dip

300gm curd which is drained of water by hanging it in a muslin cloth or cheesecloth
3 large cloves of garlic
Juice from half a lemon
Salt as per taste
1/3rd cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 tbsp chives

First make your hand curd and while the water from the curd is being drained marinate your fish by making a smooth paste with the garlic paste, ginger paste, onion and green chilies and the oil. Leave it for half an hour. Now you'l see some of the marinate sticking to the bottom of the bowl.

In the meantime make the dip and chill it. Simply blend the garlic with salt , extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice and then whisk in the hung curd and the smooth blend of garlic oil and lemon juice , add finely chopped chives and chill it.

Don't worry simply transfer the marinated  fish to another bowl and 1/4th  cup of water in the same bowl in which you have marinated the fish and mix well. Preserve this water

Now take a large bowl , one where you can easily dip the fish and make the batter by mixing the dry ingredients (Flour , gram flour and rice flour) and then slowly add the water from the bowl in which the fish was marinated to make a smooth batter. Add a pinch of salt and and 1/4th cup water .

Now here is a trick for crispy batter fried fish. Heat the oil for frying and use 1 tbsp of the hot oil in the batter and whisk well. There is also the two time fry method.

Now dip the fish in the batter and deep fry it on low heat for about 2 minutes on either side and keep aside. Just before serving fry the already fried fish on medium heat for about 30 seconds on each side and you'l be delighted with the crispiness. Serve with the dip and enjoy.

Important tips :-

1. You must always fry the batter fried fish in low heat else it will quickly burn on the outside leaving the insides uncooked. 
2. Rice flour added to the batter lends its crispiness. I have used the old fashioned method but in modern times people use cornflour with a pinch of baking soda as well. 
3. The two time fry method helps make the fish extremely crispy. 

This is part of 

Pan Seared Tilapia

Pan Seared Tilapia

I love light lunches which are colourful but in a natural way. Well it means no artificial colours are used because nature herself provides us with a riot of colours. What more I like Fresh ingredients. 

So while I love Bhetki, a river fish found in Bengal when in Mumbai I would rather use the fresh Tilapia. Well so this is a light yet filling lunch. I believe the terms light and filling are both subjective so if this seems less filling for you do add some boiled potatoes with it. 

Serves 1

200gm Tilapia (1 whole fish)
2 asparagus
2 medium sized tomatoes
1 onion
1 tsp Olive oil
1/4th tsp cayenne pepper
Salt as per taste
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
Splash of white wine vinegar

Ask your fisherman to make fillets of the 200gm fish but make sure you carry back the head and bone for a nice stock for later use. Now marinate the fillets with salt, cayenne pepper and thyme for 30 minutes. In the meantime chop the asparagus and halve the onion and tomatoes.

Heat the oil and coat your non stick pan and add the fish and cook on medium heat for a  minutes and turn over and add the vegetables and cover and lower heat. Your fish will be done in another 30 seconds to 50 seconds. Take them out and add salt to the vegetables with the vinegar and toss about and serve.

Its that simple

Hilsa Pilaf aka Ilish Pulao

Hilsa Pilaf aka Ilish Pulao 

One of the biggest boons of having bloggers who are kind enough to write about the cuisine that they are born into is your own brush with such dishes. Take the cuisine of Bangladesh for instance. Once a part of our very own country India they are our immediate neighbours and to be fair there are many people in this City of Joy whose roots are in the erstwhile East Bengal yet I personally had no clue about their cuisine till sometime ago. Not that I did not have friends whose origin is from 'Opad bangla' , former East bengal but somehow none had actually spoken about the cuisine from that area or some have sadly adapted their kitchen to the likes of where they currently stay.

My first interest in the cuisine was the direct result of someone I met with whom I became immediate friends who not only had strong feelings for her roots but one who had immense knowledge about the food from her origin. And then then there was this food festival hosted by one of the restaurants in the city which focused on food from Bangladesh. I unfortunately was unable to attend the event but the description and photographs of dishes got me all worked up.

And then suddenly one day I decided I wanted to search for a particular Bangladeshi dish which led me to a beautiful blog from Bangladesh which further led me to read about the Hilsa Pilaf. With the monsoons its time for Hilsa to be brought home every week and to be fair I personally am not a fan of mustard Hilsa. I like the 'Beguner Tel Jhal' a soupy hot dish made with green chilies, nigella seeds , hilsa and eggplants and this Hilsa Pilaf got me interested in it.

Before I move on to the recipe I must talk about this one particularly silly thing which has bothered me from childhood , the whole fight between people from West Bengal and East Bengal who live in Calcutta. I mean sure the fights are never bloody or violent but this whole enthusiasm to prove that one group is better than the other be it in sports or food is not only silly but something which should be despised. Hasn't this whole feeling of superiority of one sect of people of this world created enough problems.  How are we so shallow that instead of appreciating the distinct taste which each region has to offer we try and pull down each other's taste etc.

Anyway there are many recipes out there which use a host of spices but believe me when I say that all this needs is the simplest of ingredients to make it delicious .

Rummana's Kitchen  and my dear friend

Serves 1

2 pieces of Hilsa fish
Half a cup of Gobindobhog rice 'short-grained fragrnat rice used to make kheer aka payesh)
3 tbsp mustard oil
1 green cardamom
1 medium sized onion finely chopped
1/2 tsp ginger paste
3 to 4 plump green or ripe chilies
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 2 pinches
1 tbsp yogurt

Simply marinate the fish with a pinch of turmeric and salt and leave aside for sometime. Now heat the oil in a wok and fry the fish on low heat for 3 minutes turning once in-between and then take it out and fry the onions on low heat till browned and crispy. Take out the onions and lave aside. In the same oil add the rice and ginger paste along with the cardamom , yogurt and chopped green chilies and fry for 1 minute and then add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil and then add salt, turmeric and the fried fish and lower the heat , cover and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Check at 7 minutes and if the rice seems cooked turn off the gas stove and keep covered for 5 minutes and then sprinkle the browned onions on top and enjoy this fabulous dish.

Very important tips :-

1. People from East Bengal love mustard oil and this dish gets its distinct flavours from the usage of mustard oil so use it for the traditional taste 
2. When browning the onions do it over very low heat else you will end up burning them. 
3. The rice has to be the short-grained rice we use for making Kheer in India even if we like Basmati not only because it is the traditional way but the rice for kheer has its own beautiful aroma which is essential for the dish.
4. If you want the dish to be a bit sticky then add 1/4th cup extra water when you add the cup of water and cook on low heat till the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked  then cover and keep it for 5 minutes. 

Mashed Fish salad

Mashed Fish salad 

I dedicate this recipe to my friend Surupa. Strange thing is you never know when you meet a beautiful human being.  This dear lady is someone who has encouraged me ever since I became an active member of a culinary group and to be fair there was something in the way she would write her sentences which made me look forward to her encouragement. After a while we quite obviously became friends and that is when I actually was glad to know someone as elegant as this lady. From the few photographs of hers I did see she was a lady who was gorgeously beautiful but behind that beautiful face and amazingly volumnious hair there is a witty, charming , compassionate person and one who sees beauty. I didn't ever tell her but those posts of Claude Monet's work always puts a smile on my face. So she posts a few pictures of some gorgeous dishes she has had from a newly opened cafe this morning and just by looking at them I suddenly was struck with my idea for lunch .

I knew it had to be something creamy and fishy but the only fish I had was the humble 'Pona' a fresh water fish with tiny needle like bones all over. I have always hated this fish with a passion because it neither has that exotic taste of some varieties of fish we get in this Eastern part of the country such as 'Tangra' 'Parshe' 'Gule' etc nor is it boneless but I suddenly knew what I wanted so begun the hanging, the chopping, the pounding, the boiling the mashing and I must say the result was quite nice. And the best part is it is 100% healthy and completely low calorie in nature.

So here is what you need for 2 servings :-

150gm to 200gm fish with bones or boneless
6 to 7 garlic cloves
 1 inch ginger
4 green chilies
1 large tomato and 1 small tomato
1 medium sized potato
1 onion
Chives 1 tsp
1 tsp xtra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp vinegar (any kind will do , I used Apple cider vinegar)
Juice of lemon (About 2 tsp)
200gm curd hung
Salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Hand the curd in a muslin cloth. Boil the potato. Cool it down and dice it in small pieces. Dice the tomatoes and onion and then chill them  .

Meanwhile skin the garlic and ginger and make a smooth paste of ginger garlic and green chilies and then boil the fish with as little water as possible along with the ginger garlic paste and 1 tsp vinegar . Boil the fish till all the water evaporates and the ginger garlic and chili stick to the fish . Now spread it out , discard the fat and mash it well with a fork and when cool enough to handle pick out the bones carefully. It will take a bit of time owing to the fine bones . Once the bones are taken out chill this as well. before serving simply add a squeeze of lemon juice to the fish and mash again and add it to the diced salad  and add salt, freshly ground pepper, extra virgin olive oil , chives and the hung curd and mix well and serve. It does taste quite nice.

Bhetki Macher Kalia

Bhetki Macher Kalia 

(Fish in a rich gravy from Bengal) 

We Bengalis from Eastern India are known for our love for fish. In fact there was a time when chicken was not allowed in most homes and mutton was also mostly avoided other than the meat cooked from animal sacrifice. Of course all that has changed and in fact Bengal was one of the first few states where one could enjoy a wide variety of cuisines but then again with time the rest of India caught up with its global outlook and some have more to offer than our state at present but a Bengali's love for fish remains unchanged. There are enough number of varieties of fish to confuse me and I personally do not like all the varieties but then again there is one fish which I simply love and that is the famous 'Bhetki' . Its probably the soft texture of the fish or the fact that it is what is mostly used for fries which most people love and is an item which is a definitive inclusion for all special occasions.

We Bengalis have a way of organizing and categorizing everything so we have soupy curries which we call 'Jhol' then the word 'Jhal' which literally translates to hot food can mean different things to different family. To my family any 'Jhal' will most obviously have mustard to provide the heat and then there is Kalia . I am not sure what it exactly means but all I know is it is a rich curry which is mostly served on special occasions. I recently read that it is called so because of the use of onions but since the source is not completely credible I wouldn't go by it.

Most homes have their own version of Kalia with addition and substraction of a few ingredients and as usual for traditional Bengali dishes I have looked upto my Mimi who has taught me the tricks of Bengali cuisine. Before I move on to the recipe I have to say a few words about my beloved aunt (Mother's Brother's wife). I have not seen any other lady who always produces perfect dishes from her kitchen. Her luchis are always perfectly puffed up (Puffed up flatbread) Her dishes always have the perfect balance between spices and saltiness and sweetness and if you follow her recipe then its a cakewalk because we all learn from experience as to what we must do and not do when preparing something but with Mimi she tells you beforehand what problems you might face. So she warns you that the fish might break for frying and you have to handle it gently or it would splutter oil so that int eh end you end up with a lovely dish and half of the credit goes to her. Here is a recipe which had been handed to her by her mother and since she has handed to me I might as well this recipe a heritage one.

Serves 4 to 5

Around 1 kilogram and 100gm Bhetki fish sliced into 8 pieces
1 heaped tbsp smooth ginger paste in which 2 green chilies has been added before making the paste
1 heaped tbsp smooth garlic paste
5 tbsp smooth onion paste
6 tbsp tomato paste
2 green cardamom
Cinnamon around the size of half a thumb
4 cloves
2 large bay leaves
Mustard oil to fry the fish
4 tbsp ghee
Salt as per taste
1 tsp chili powder
Turmeric for rubbing on the fish and a pinch to be used for the gravy
650ml of water
1 green chili for garnishing

Start by rubbing salt , turmeric and 1 tbsp mustard oil on the fish and marinating in it for about 1 hour. Now heat the oil and fry the fish but do not brown it. Since it will be used in the gravy one should ideally fry it lightly so that it reaches a nice golden colour and transfer to a big container.

Now decant the extra mustard oil and heat 3 tbsp ghee and add the ginger paste and garlic paste and sautee till the raw smell goes away and add the onion paste and then wait till the raw smell of onions go away and you find the oil separating and then add the tomato and crushed bay leaf and sautee till the oil separates out . Now crush the whole spices but do not grind them and add them and then bring the wet spice which is being cooked to a boil and add the chili powder, turmeric and salt and then simmer and add the water and bring to boil and then lower heat and add the fish one by one but very carefully and simmer covered for the next 15 minutes or so. You shall see a film of fat from the ghee and then switch off the gas stove and transfer it to a bowl. When transferring remember that the fish is soft so try and gently place them one by one and then use a bit of gravy and place a few more fish and top with more gravy. Use 1 slit green chili for garnishing and serve with plain steamed rice .

Tips

1. The fish is very soft and so there is a chance that it might easily break so  when turning it while frying handle it very gently. 
2. Do not brown the fish else the gravy would not penetrate through . ideally the fish should have a golden hue when you should take it out of the wok and transfer it to a dish. 

Breadcrumb coated Fried fish

Breadcrumb coated Fried fish 

I come from a part of India where a piece of fish is almost compulsory with every principal meal except breakfast. Now to be honest I am not a fishoholic. I know there is no such word in the English dictionary but if selfie can become a word fishoholic is a perfect word to describe people who are obsessed with eating fish but then again I do love certain fish and Bhetki (a local fresh water fish with one single bone which is used for coated fries and curries ) is one of  my absolute favourite fish . Its probably the soft texture , the sweet taste and then of course there are memories attached to this fish.  Special occasion in a Bengali household would definitely mean Bhetki being served one way or the other. Usually India being the land of spices the breadcrumb coated fish fries served in Bengal have quite a sharp taste from the use of onion paste and ginger paste and garlic paste and green chilies but on an afternoon when I was dead tired and my best friend had come over I decided fries I would make but one that didn't need too much of work.

I must mention that I do enjoy the flavours of the ingredients I cook and so when I am cooking fish I do not mind the fishy smell. For me the idea of covering up its own flavours is not compulsory.

At first I had decided on the Classic British Fish n chips but without adequate all purpose flour at home I quickly changed it to breadcrumb coated fish fry since I had baked a sour cream bread a few days ago and when there is bread at home making breadcrumb doesn't take much time.

While many fish connoisseurs from the part of the world where I come from might not be too happy about the use of pork fat I decided on it because I read about beef dripping making Fish n chips tastier and so pork fat it was for my recipe but you can always leave that out. This breadcrumb coated fried fish along with a creamy homemade dip on a lazy Sunday afternoon with your best friend makes some great memories indeed.

So here is the recipe which serves 2 :-

I used two large fillets (say about 100gm per fillet)
I rubbed salt and freshly and finely ground black pepper on both its sides and marinated it for 1 hour

For the coating :-

1.5 cup of breadcrumbs (These cups hold 210ml of water)
1 egg whisked well
Salt and finely ground black pepper
All purpose flour for dredging the fillets , say a handful of it

Pork fat + vegetable oil for frying.

For the dip

2 tbsp sour cream
4 tbsp soft feta
1.5 tsp finely chopped jalapeno soaked in vinegar

Simply marinate the fish in salt and pepper and int he meanwhile make the bread crumb by preheating oven to 180 C and making small squares from your bread slices and baking them for 20 minutes. Turn them once after 10 minutes.

While it gets marinated make the dip by whisking soft feta , sour cream and then add the chopped jalapeno. You might add salt but I didn't need to since the soft feta had enough salt for my taste buds.

Now heat the vegetable oil with pork fat if using it or just the vegetable oil is not using pork fat. Don't let it smoke else your fish fry will turn black on the outside.

Now first dredge the fillets with all purpose flour and then dip it in the whisked egg and coat it well with breadcrumbs and then dip it in the egg again and finally coat well with breadcrumbs and fry on medium heat till its golden brown on both sides. Serve with the creamy dip.

Parmesan poached fish

Parmesan poached fish 

If you really are passionate about culinary topics you tend to pick up little tips here and there and from everywhere. It was on a lazy afternoon when I was watching TLC that I came across this fabulously simple Spanish dish for fish. Now TLC usually doesn't repeat the recipes in writing so I quickly noted down that all that one needed was a slab of fish which was poached in milk with fresh Parsley. Cut to May and it was on a happy Summer's morning when Calcutta had cooled down a teeny weeny bit from 40 C to 30 C after a 2 minute shower the previous night I was ready to stock my refrigerator in the morning. I have been wanting to have fish for the longest time and so I marched to the market and bought a nice bhetki out of which my fisherman sliced and made thick fillets. I immediately knew what I wanted courtesy TLC's Spanish fish recipe, sicne my fresh parsley had wrinkled up in this terrible heat I decided I would make my own dish. Back at home after a bit of cleaning of the home I was pretty hungry and so I wanted lunch. Well here is a recipe which takes 15 minutes and yields a fantastic dish indeed

Serves 1

100gm fish
230ml of milk (I used skimmed milk)
3 tbsp  Parmesan which has been freshly grated
1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
1/2 an onion thinly sliced
1.5 large potato
Salt as per taste
1 tsp finely chopped cilantro

I will tell you what I did. So I popped the two large potatoes in the micorwave at 900W for 12 minutes and while it cooked I brought 230ml of milk to a boil and added some salt , the freshly curshed pepper and simply added my fish along with thinly sliced onions and thinly sliced garlic , poached it for 4 minutes on each side and then I took out the fish and switched off the gas stove. I peeled my potatoes and then sliced it in thin circular pieces, some crumbled but that's how it should have been in my mind. The idea was to have potatoes which weren't perfectly sliced but with a crumbly yet some whole circular pieces. I switched on the gas stove with the pan of milk and added the potatoes and brought it to a boil and simmered for 50 seconds and then drained it and put it on a plate and added the fish on top while the milk kept on simmering . I used 1.5 potatoes and reserved the rest since I knew I wouldn't be able to finish the entire bit. Now I added the grated Parmesan and Cilantro  to the simmering milk and whisked well to create a smooth thick sauce and topped my fish dish with the sauce and garnished with some cilantro. It was cheesy yet light and perfect for the summers yet it filled the stomach.

Fish pie

Creamy buttery soft smooth and silky Fish Pie 

 Coming back to food. Well my blog is about food and with my last post about insurance I feel it is time I get back to my culinary world. So when you have 3 wonderful friends for whom you arrange a dinner party the excitement begins with the planning itself. I usually love planning my menu weeks before but this time it was a quick set up and so on Monday everybody had decided on a meet and I was throwing a dinner party on Wednesday. To be quite frank with so many delicious dishes of varied cuisines floating around I was in trouble till I finally decided on a menu and so Fish pie it was as part of the dinner party because well I knew most of them love fish and well since winter has well lets be honest and say that it has waved goodbye the weather while mildly hot is yet to feel the full wrath of the Summers and so there are very days left to enjoy a rich creamy fish pie.

Finding a recipe was easy enough since I knew that it would be an English fish pie and so with the help of Mr.Martin's recipe which was twisted to suit the fresh ingredients of Calcutta (such as the salmon and cod was replaced by bhetki fish a soft boneless fish )this easy creamy delicious dish was ready within 1 hour 15 minutes taking preparation time and cooking time. While the amount of butter , cream and carbohydrate in this dish is not really very healthy per say but such divine taste needs to be indulged in at times and with the humidity and heat of the country you anyways have a few months of the years for such indulgences which are a definitely necessity. Its buttery , creamy with flaky soft fish and a culinary lover's absolute delight

4 to 5 servings

Potato Topping
900gm potatoes boiled
150ml double cream
60gm unsalted butter + 1 tbsp for greasing the baking dish
Pinch of nutmeg powder (preferably freshly grated)
Salt and pepper to taste

Fish layering
950gm fillet of Bhetki or any soft white boneless fish
3 tbsp unsalted butter
Juice of Half a lemon

Parsley sauce

1 tbsp flour
4 tbsp unsalted butter
200ml full cream milk
4 tbsp cream

Paprika sauce

1 tbsp flour
4 tbsp butter
200ml of full cream milk
4 tbsp cream
Half a tsp paprika

Start by bringing the milk to a boil and leaving it aside. What you do is boil and mash the potatoes with the other ingredients for potato topping and keep it aside. make ti smooth without any lumps. Now saute the fish so that it is just about softened in butter. You will be left with some fish juice in the pan. Grease your baking dish and put half your fish in the bottom layer and squeeze some lemon juice on it and pour the fish juice left in the pan.

Parsley Sauce 

Make your parsley sauce by melting the butter but definitely not browning it and adding the parsley and then when the flavour fills your kitchen add the flour and form the roux by simply using a spatula to mix the flour with the butter but do not let it brown even one bit. Now slowly add the milk bit by bit stirring continuously so that you have a smooth silky sauce without any lumps. Once the milk has been incorporated add the cream whisk a bit and poor the thick silky sauce on top of the fish in the baking dish. Now arrange the remaining fish and prepare the Paprika sauce

Make the paprika sauce the same way as the parsley sauce by simply replacing the parsley with paprika and then pour on top of the layered fish. Now top this with the mashed potatoes.

Preheat oven to 200 c and bake for 50 minutes if using convection oven or else 40 minutes for regular ovens or OTGs

Believe me your guests will be charmed and wouldn't be able to stop saying 'OOh Aaah lovely , fantastic, so creamy' I say such indulgences should be made compulsory

Butterly cheesy fish finger

Utterly butterly cheesy fishy: Recipe courtesy my dearest friend A

So I meet one of my best friends dearest "A"  after a month and it anyways seems like years and we giggle and laugh, tease each other and almost cry out laughing but did I mention how well she cooks. And all she says is "I cannot cook that well , you can cook so well." Or "Everyone can make these things"

Of course if you see what she does with her needle and hands you would be amazed. Anyways cook she does brilliantly well but they are always on the high side of Indian spiciness and so when she served these delicious fish fingers I was eager to simply bite into them and ooh what a surprise I was in for. Mild , delicate yet so delicious that it knocked my socks off.  I immediately declared that I was going to make them the next day itself and was even more surprised to learn that this required 4 ingredients, Rui fish (a fresh water fish with bones), butter, cheese , salt and rolled oats. This was one of the most innovative dish I have ever tasted with such less ingredients. P.S. The very next day she came over and was treated to "Lahori Murgh Chole" a spicy delicacy of chickpea and chicken from the grand city of Lahore and orange milk pudding and upside down orange cake. I tried them on Sunday and the result was magnificent with the evening tea. Instead of mayonnaise I did use my homemade thick garlic sauce made with hung curd which has that punch provided by black pepper and red chilies soaked in red wine vinegar.

Its basically very easy

Take four pieces of Rohu /rui fish which comes up to a weight of say 190gm to 200gm
Salt as per taste
4 tablespoonful of butter
Mozzarella cheese about 50gm

Use salt to marinate the fish in. Use the salt  cautiously since if you do use salted butter it woudl add tot he salt content. Shallow fry the fish in butter. Remember that the only flavour you get it mainly from butter so use it sparingly. Once, cool enough to handle smash it as well as you can. You have to use your hands to get the bones out of the mashed fish. Finely chop the mozzarella and work it with the fish to make a smooth paste. Then take rolled oats on a plate and shape your fish into fingers and roll them around int he oats to make sure it is all covered and shallow fry it.

Serve with a condiment. A spicy condiment works best for this such as herb mayonnaise or garlic sauce. if the condiment is homemade the taste would be superior and fresh.

You can try this Creamy chili garlic dip

Grilled fish with smoked bell pepper marination

Healthy can be tasty alright but the same process might just get boring. So while I have cooked 4 different styled poached fish in the past today when the weather is cool and your hands and feet feel dry I wanted something different. Closed my eyes and thought for a while and while the poached fish repulsed me all of a sudden the image of a nicely grilled fish made me look forward to lunch. 

I had eyed this Eastern European condiment recipe ajvar for a long time. While I did not follow the original recipe I did gas roast my bell peppers, onions and garlic , blend them smooth marinated the fish with salt , pepper and the mixture and oh what a lunch ti was. The sweet roasted bell peppers was the perfect lunch for the approaching winter.

 The cucumbers are suddenly fresher than the freshest ones in the market and with so many options healthy can never be boring again. P.S. while my fish grilled I admired the roses my grandmother had planted some 40 years ago. Winter is round the corner indeed.

So its easy , you need

2 small sized Pomfret fish
Salt and pepper as per taste 
Half a red bell pepper
Half an yellow bell pepper
4 cloves of fat garlic 
1 small onion 
Half a tsp black pepper. 
Olive oil  1 tablespoonful 
1 tsp red wine vinegar 

Start by first brushing the fish with oil and applying salt. Leave it to marinate for 15 minutes. In the meantime flame roast the bell peppers, garlic cloves and onion. Scrape off the blackened parts of bell peppers and the skin of garlic and onion and blend with black pepper , olive oil , salt and red wine vinegar. Marinate the fish with this mixture for 2 hours. Grill both sides well and you have a beautiful lunch of fish on a bed of cucumbers. 

Poached with a bit of cilantro , a bit of parsley

Recently overheard a conversation in a restaurant about how health food dishes have no taste , are meant for people with no interest in food. This is while they were devouring a lovely cheesy baked fish dish. No, no I wasn't being impolite and either staring or eavesdropping but the tables were so close and the seats arranged in such a way it was what it was. God that makes me chuckle. With so many ingredients, so much of option how is it that healthy does not meet tasty. Of course taste is very subjective :P

Anyways coming back to today's lunch this one is dedicated to one of my dearest friends who is a bit plump and has been struggling for years to be a bit slimmer. This one is bursting with flavours yet subtly so.

So fish full of Omega 3 is a wonderful nutritional first class protein but deep fry it and all that nutritive value is just murdered. So while poaching might not exactly bring images of deliciousness to most people this beautiful marinated poached fish full of flavours might just change their mind. In went 4 small cloves of garlic, a wee bit ginger, a bit of parsley, a bit of cilantro , 1 wedge of lemon and 1 green chili , a good marination for 2 hours , poached ready served on a bed of shredded cabbage and tomatoes , tasty healthy lunch :D


I used:

2 small whole pomfret
1 to 2 tablespoon chopped fresh of cilantro and parsley
Salt and pepper as per taste
4 small cloves of garlic
Less than an inch of ginger
1 whole green chili
1/2 tsp crushed dried basil leaves
1 wedge of lemon
2 tsp olive oil

So start by making a smooth paste of everything by adding a little water but the lemon and olive oil and then go on to marinate the fish with salt and pepper and this fresh paste. Marinate for about 2 hours. Useful tip would be to make to cuts across either side of the fish for better marination.

Well once marinated simply poach the fish with all the marination add about 1 to 1.5 cups of water. I covered and cooked for 9 minutes and the fish had soaked all the goodness of the flavours.

For the salad

2 tomatoes
1 small cup of finely shredded cabbage

Make a bed of the cabbage, arrange tomatoes and add the fish. I tried it in two ways by fish eating the fish separately with a orange honey vinaigrette dressing and the second time without any extra dressing where the thick gravy like water from the fish itself gave all the flavorus required. Must say the second one was far better.