As someone who loves a good meal, cooking one, came to me as a natural passion. I belong to a family where meal times consisted of not just food, but also noisy conversation centered around the events of the day and discussing the menu for the next. (ah yes, we are a greedy lot! )

For the most part of my life so far, my contribution in the kitchen was assisting mom and my duties were limited, to chopping veggies and laying the table. Then along came the great Indian wedding, and I was suddenly the queen of my very own kingdom. My curiosity about this magical world, coupled with an enthusiastic sous-chef (my husband, Vineet), led me to take on the challenge of preparing meals on a daily basis, and not succumbing to the convenience of hiring a cook.

This blog is a product of my experiments with food (not all are life threatening :D) for my fellow culinary enthusiasts - especially the newly weds and hungry bachelors and is dedicated to the women who've inspired me in the kitchen;
Aji (s),Ma and Nigella Lawson.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Fish fry!

This is our first weekend back home in the past 4 weeks. Although its been fun to be on the move, first, visiting family & friends back in Pune, and then jetting off to Malaysia to celebrate two years of being Mr & Mrs., its always comforting to finally come home. While I was out grocery shopping to re-stock my fridge, I found some super fresh pomfret and I could'nt help myself... A simple masala pomfret, turned out to be the perfect accompaniment to our Daal-chawal dinner. The list of ingredients is a little long, but most of it is stuff you will have lying around in your kitchen anyway. So without further ado, here goes! Btw, KP, this one, goes out to you :)

Ingredients:
2 fresh Pomfrets (about 600g each)
Salt - to taste
Black Peppercorns, crushed
1 tsp Red Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tbsp Olive oil + extra to fry
1 tbsp Garlic paste
1 tsp Green chilli paste
2 tbsp fresh Coriander paste
1 tbsp Tamarind paste
1/2 cup Rice flour
1 onion -sliced into rings
2 tbsp chopped Coriander
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method:
1.  Wash the pomfret and pat dry. Make 1cm deep slits about 1/2" apart on both sides. Rub the salt, crushed peppercorns, chilli powder and turmeric on the pomfret and allow it to marinate for about 15-20 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, mix together, the Olive oil, Garlic paste, Red chilli paste, coriander paste, tamarind paste and salt. Rub the marinate on all sides of the pomfrets and marinate for another 15 mins.

3.  Heat the olive oil on a non-stick pan. Dust the marinated pomfret with rice flour (taandula-chi pithi, in marathi) and place the fish onto the heated oil. Drizzle another tablespoon of oil all around the fish. Cook till golden brown.

4.  Using a pair of tongs, turn the fish and cook on the second side, till its browned to your liking. Be careful while turning the fish, as it may slip / break, so use a flat wooden spoon or something similar and be gentle with the fish.

5.  Turn the fish onto a plate, and garnish with onion rings and coriander. Squirt the lime wedges onto the fish, and dig in while its still piping hot! Happy eating! =)