seer fish

Fish Fry

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Fish fry

Fish fry is the most popular dish among seafood in every Indian cuisine (as long as non vegetarian items are permissible). It is a very simple dish that stays true to its name i.e., fish that has been fried in oil. As I had mentioned in my fish gravy post, fish is one of my most favorite foods and anything made with it is a no brainer for me. I have been trying to make the perfect fish fry for quite some time and the problem for me was that I could not get the right fish variety. Most recently, I got to buy king fish (the one used back home for fish fry) and to my delight the fry I made from it turned out to be almost perfect ( πŸ™‚ I will never say any of my dishes to be perfect since I always feel that there is still room for improvement) .

Fish fryFish fryFish fry is very popular back home and you can see vendors selling them along with other delicacies in beaches and as cart foods on streets. There are so many recipes to make fish fry but the one I have posted here is really simple. All you need are chilli powder, salt and lemon juice. For health conscious people out there, you can shallow fry instead of deep frying the fish. Fish fry with fish gravy is an awesome combination. You can also have it as an appetizer or as an evening snack Β πŸ™‚

Fish fryTry this simple and tasty fish fry in your kitchen and do let me know which method you prefer, deep fried or shallow fried?

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Fish Fry
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2 fish pieces
 
Ingredients
  • Red chilli powder – 1 Β½ tsp
  • Salt as required
  • Lemon juice – 1 tsp
  • Fish – 2 pieces ( I used seer/king/vanjiram fish)
  • Oil – 2 tbsp
Instructions
  1. Wash the fish thoroughly with little turmeric powder to get rid of the raw smell.
  2. Make a thick paste of red chilli powder, salt and lemon juice. Check for salt and spiciness.
  3. Apply the paste on both the sides of the fish and leave it for at least half an hour.
  4. Heat oil in a flat pan, place the marinated fish on it and fry for a minute until one side is well fried.
  6. Flip over and cook the other side until crispy.
  8. Place it on a plate lined with tissue paper. Serve hot with spicy fish gravy and white rice or just have it as is! Enjoy! 

Β Fish fry

Fish Gravy

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fish gravyGenerally, I am big fan of any food items that has tamarind as one of the ingredients like puli kuzhambu (tamarind gravy), puliyogare (tamarind rice) etc. On those lines, one other dish that I like so much is the Meen kuzhambu/Fish gravy and this gravy also has tamarind as one of the ingredients. Fish gravy is one dish which literally took a lot of my effort in getting it right. Every time I try making this gravy, something or the other didn’t come together. I always suspected that the variety of fish I buy was the reason. So when I visited India recently, this was the dish I had on the top of my list to learn πŸ˜‰ I tried fish gravy as soon as I returned home and voila! It turned out to be one of my best creations ever πŸ˜‰

fish gravyI always liked fish since my childhood. I like its texture and taste. The meen kuzhambu that I have given here is one of my mom’s signature recipes. The main ingredients that are used here, other than tamarind, are tomato and green chilli. Fish in general absorbs too much of hotness from the ingredients that we use (chilli and homemade sambar powder). So you need to add extra chilli and/or sambar powder to the gravy. Also, the addition of sambar powder gives thickness to the gravy (you can substitute coconut milk as well here).

fish gravyOne lesson that I learnt from this successful attempt of preparing meen kuzhambu/fish gravy is that if you have the right recipe, you don’t have to worry about the fish you use. So people do try this wonderful recipe and let me know your equally wonderful experience!

Other things that I have learnt,

  • Add extra oil while making fish gravy – enhances the taste.
  • Right amount of tamarind – gives the kick to the gravy.
  • Add extra spiciness – fish absorbs more spice.
  • Fish cooks real fast, so do not stir the gravy often once the fish is added – So that you don’t break/mash the fish.
  • And finally, like biriyani and pizza, fish gravy tastes excellent when had the next day! πŸ™‚

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Fish Gravy
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
A traditional and authentic fish gravy recipe made using tamarind extract and spices.
Ingredients
to marinate:
  • Homemade sambar powder or kuzhambu podi – 1 tbsp
  • Salt – Β½ tsp
  • King or seer fish – 1 pound (5 pieces)
other ingredients:
  • Gingelly oil – 3 to 4 tbsp
  • Fenugreek seeds – Β½ tsp
  • Shallots, cut to rings – 6 nos
  • Garlic cloves, cut to rounds – 5 nos
  • Tomatoes, big, finely chopped – 1 Β½ nos
  • Green chilli – 1 no
  • Salt as required
  • Tamarind - Big gooseberry size
  • Jaggery - a very small piece (a generous pinch)
  • Homemade sambar powder or kuzhambu podi– 2 tbsp
  • Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
  • Grated coconut – 1 to 2 tbsp (optional)
to crush and temper:
  • Shallots – 1 no
  • Garlic cloves - 1 no
  • Ginger – 1”
  • Oil – 1 tbsp (oil used to fry the fish)
Instructions
  1. Clean and wash the fish with a tsp of turmeric powder and marinate them with the above given ingredients. Cover and leave it for at least half an hour.
  2. Soak tamarind in a cup of water and extract the juice or blend them in a blender to a thick paste.
  3. Grind coconut and a shallot to a fine paste (this step is completely optional).
  5. Heat oil in a kadai or any wide open deep pan and add fenugreek seeds. When they start to sizzle add chopped shallots. SautΓ© until the onion turn translucent and then add chopped garlic and fry for a minute until it turns golden brown.
  7. Add chopped tomatoes and a slit green chilli. Cook until the tomatoes are mushy. It takes 2 to 3 minutes.
  9. Add in the tamarind extract/paste and allow them to boil. Add a pinch of jaggery at this time.
  11. Now reduce the flame and add sambar powder, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well and cook until the gravy leaves oil.
  13. When the gravy starts to boil, check for salt and spice and add the marinated fish to the gravy. Cook until the gravy leaves oil. It takes about 5 to 8 minutes – Do not stir the gravy once the fish is added. Just slightly tilt around the kadai if you wanted to.
  14. Meanwhile crush shallots, ginger and garlic in a motor and pestle.
  16. If you are making a large batch, add coconut paste to the gravy five minutes after the fish is added to the gravy.
  17. Heat a seasoning ladle and fry the crushed ingredients until light golden brown and pour them in to the fish gravy.
  18. Enjoy the tasty fish gravy with hot rice and fish fry and experience the heaven! 
Notes
1.Here I have used king fish. You can use any variety of fish of your choice. I heard red snapper tastes excellent for fish gravy. πŸ˜‰
2.I usually don’t add coconut paste to the gravy if I am making for just the two of us. I recommend adding it when you are making a large batch.
3.Adding jaggery enhances the tanginess of the fish gravy
4.If you are making fish fry on the same day, season the crushed ingredients in the left over oil. My mom always does this because it adds more taste to the gravy.

fish gravy

Nellore chepala pulusu

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Nellore chepala pulusu
Nellore Chepala Pulusu is a non vegetarian delicacy from Nellore, a coastal town in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Chepala Pulusu means fish curry in tamarind sauce. After numerous misadventures with fish, this is the one that I was satisfied with. I came across this recipe during one of my diligent searches πŸ™‚ for a fish curry recipe.
Nellore chepala pulusu
Nellore Chepala Pulusu is usually made using seer fish but I used catfish (you can use other fish varieties as well). As the name suggests, this curry tastes tangy because of the tamarind and goes excellent with rice. We had Achari fish as the side dish, which is another dish that tastes equally awesome (you can find the recipe for Achari fish here).Β Also, mango is added as one of the ingredients butΒ the recipe that I have given below does not include it.
Nellore chepala pulusu
Do try this tangy and tasty fish curry in your kitchen and let me know your thoughts.

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Nellore chepala pulusu

Nellore chepala pulusu

Ingredients

    To dry roast and grind:
  • Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
  • Cumin seeds – 1 1/2 tsp
    • Other ingredients:
  • Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
  • Garlic cloves, roughly chopped – 10 nos
  • Tomatoes, medium sized , roughly chopped – 4 nos
  • Big onion, finely chopped – 1 or 2 nos
  • Curry leaves – a sprig
  • Tamarind, big gooseberry size, extracted – 1 cup
  • Turmeric powder – Β½ tsp
  • Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
  • Coriander powder – 1 1/2 tbsp
  • Green chilli , slit – 1 or 2 nos
  • Sheer fish, boneless, cubes – 1/2 kg
  • Ground powder – 1 tbsp
  • Salt as required

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped garlic and stir it occasionally.
  2. Meanwhile puree the tomatoes and keep it ready.
  3. When the garlic turns brown, add in chopped onions and sautΓ© well. Add curry leaves and cook until the onions turn translucent.
  4. Add in the tomato puree.
  5. While the gravy is getting cooked, make the Nellore koora powder as given below.
  6. Heat a small flat pan and add fenugreek seeds. Dry roast until they turn golden brown and remove it from the pan. Next add mustard seeds and dry roast them separately. When they start to crackle, remove it from the pan. Next add cumin seeds and toss them for few seconds until the nice aroma spreads. When cumin seeds seeds are well roasted, remove it from the pan. Allow them to cool and grind to a fine powder.
  7. When the tomato gravy is well cooked add enough water and tamarind paste and allow them to boil.
  8. Add all the powders and mix well. Add the slit green chilli and give it a stir. Cover and simmer the gravy until the raw smell disappears. It takes around a couple of minutes.
  9. Now add the fish to the gravy. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
  10. Finally add the ground powder and enough salt to the gravy, mix well and cook for another couple of minutes. By now the gravy would have released oil on the sides. Sprinkle loosely crushed fresh curry leaves lavishly and switch off the flame.
  11. It tastes excellent with steamed white rice.
    12. Note:
  12. Do not roast the ingredients too much otherwise the entire dish will be spoiled as they give bitter taste when roasted too much. Always to make the Nellore chaapala pulusu powder make the ratio as 1:2:3.
  13. Try to make this powder just before adding to the gravy and so the fresh flavor retains.
https://myediblecravings.com/nellore-chepala-pulusu/

Nellore chepala pulusu