Fish Manchurian

Earlier, authentic dishes like Luqmi-Kawab, Mirchi Ka Salan, Kacche Gosht ki Biryani and desserts/meetha like Double ka Meetha and Gajar ka Halwa were a sure sight at any Hyderabadi wedding on the dinner tables. With passing time and generations, this has changed. A modern take on several authentic dishes and innovative techniques to present them is todays mantra. Among them, ‘Apollo fish’ is a seafood manchurian type of dish that is getting very popular nowadays, which more and more Bawarchis are prefering to include in the menus, and quite liked my common.

Apollo fish (or) Fish Manchurian

The below recipe is my imitation of ‘Apollo Fish’. I do not know why is it called particularly as ‘Apollo’ fish, but I sure am among those ardent lovers of this Hyderabadi seafood dish. Your friends will definitely enjoy this very light and tangy platter of fish.

Apollo fish (or) Fish Manchurian

Ingredients:

• Gram flour/Besan - 4 tbsp
• All Purpose flour/Maida – 2 tbsp
• Corn Flour – 2 tbsp
• Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp
• Roasted Coriander powder – 1/4 tsp
• Roasted Cumin powder – 1/4 tsp
• Red chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp
• Salt – 1/2 tsp
• Water - 1 tsp
• Egg – 1, large
• Any firm boneless fish fillets (I prefer Bass/Salmon) – 500 gms, cubed into bite size pieces
• Canola Oil – 1 tbsp
• Ginger Garlic paste – 2 tsp
• Fresh Curry leaves – about 20
• Green, Yellow, Orange and Red bell peppers – 1/2 cup, cut into strips
• Soya Sauce – 3 tbsp
• Lemon juice – 3 tbsp
• Mint and Cilantro leaves - 2 tbsp each, finely chopped, for garnish

Method:

• In a bowl add the first 9 ingredients and mix them well to make a thick batter. Add the fish cubes and gently mix with a spoon so that each piece gets completely covered with the batter.
• Add a few drops of oil to a large non-stick frying pan at medium low heat and as soon as it gets warm, add the fish cubes in a single layer. Shallow fry them till they are golden brown on each side. Repeat until all the fish cibes are done. Remove in a platter and keep aside.
• In the same frying pan, add oil and throw in the ginger garlic paste. Stir fry it till it is golden brown. Add the curry leaves and peppers. Saute it for 2 minutes. Pour in the soya sauce and add the fried fish cubes. With a rubber spatula, gently mix them all. Cover the lid and let cook for 2-4 minutes.
• Add lemon juice. Garnish with cilantro and mint leaves and serve warm immediately.

Suggested Accompaniments: Enjoy the manchurian along with roti, rice or as a snack.

Cheers,
Mona

Hari Pyaaz aur Malai wale Jhinge

This is one of the dishes that I prepare when I do not have much time to spend in my kitchen. These creamy prawns with scallions get prepared quite quickly and contain all the goodness. 

Hari Pyaz aur Malai wale Jhinge – Shrimp with Scallions and Cream  

Prawns are my favorite among the Seafood. These little crustaceans are devouring. In this dish I have used hari-pyaz/scallions and light cream along with some other ingredients as well, each one of them imparting their own special flavor to the dish, but keeping the flavor of the prawns the dominant.

I have also used the Salan Masala which I learnt from the cookbook Regional Indian Cooking by Ajay Joshi and Alison Roberts. This masala has now become a very important ingredient in many of my daily recipes and I find it very flavorful. I’m sharing the recipe of the masala with you all which I found in the cookbook.

Salan Masala

Makes about 2/3 cup

Ingredients:

• Dry Dessicated Coconut – 1/3 cup
• Sesame seeds – 1 1/2 tbsp
• Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
• Cinnamon stick – 1 insh piece
• Whole cloves – 4
• Green Cardamom pods – 6 green
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Red Chilli powder – 2 tsp
• Turmeric – 1 tsp

Method:

• Dry roast the coconut and sesame seeds at medium heat until golden forn 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool, then in a spice grinder, grind it to a fine powder. Transfer to a bowl.
• Add coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and cumin to the same pan. Dry roast at medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, 4-5 minutes. Set aside, cool and gring to a fine powder. Add to the coconut mixture along with chilli powder and turmeric. Stir well to combine. 
• Transfer to an airtight container. Store in refrigerator forupto 6 months. Use a clean dry spoon each time to us ethe masala to prevent mold from forming.

I usually get frozen prawns as they are easy to keep and are available for me to prepare and have them whenever I want. You can even use fresh prawns if available. I miss all the freshly available food in abumdance in India so much. Here, I do not get most of my Indian ingredients, and miss many of the Indian delicacies.

Tip: I have been practising a new way of storing food. I wash, dry and chop them up in the required shapes and freeze them in zip-lock freezer bags for weeks together. Foods that I usually store frozen are chopped green beans, chopped scallions, chopped bottle guard, choped okra, thickly chopped bananas and so on..

Hari Pyaz aur Malai wale Jhinge – Shrimp with Scallions and Cream

Ingredients:

• Fresh or Frozen Prawns – 400 gms, deshelled; tails, legs and veins removed 
• Canola Oil – 2 tsp
• Scallions – 3 cups, chopped with both the green and white parts
• Tomato Paste – 2 tsp
• Red Chilli Flakes – 1 tsp
• Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Light Cream – 2 tbsp
• Lemon Juice – 2 tbsp
• Grated Ginger – 1 tsp
• Salan Masala - 2 tsp

Method:

• Pour oil into a large frying pan with lid at medium heat and as soon as it warms up, add the scallions and saute them for 3-5 minutes. Add tomato paste, red chilli flakes, turmeric, salt and shrimp. Mix, cover with lid and let it cook for 3 minutes.
• Later, add light cream, lemon juice, grated ginger and salan masala. Gently mix well and cover and let it cook for 5 more minutes. Serve warm.

Suggested Accompaniments: It tastes wonderful along with warm Rotis, or Basmati Chawal and any Vegetable side dish.

Luv,
Mona

Khatti Machli

Recently my hubby bought home some fresh Mackerel fish as he knows I love Seafood. I was wondering what to do with them. I browsed through many blogs and recipes searching for a recipe but i was unable to. So, yesterday my taste buds were very ready to have to some fish, and these fish were tempting me a lot. So i thought of whipping up a curry with whatever i wish and having the fish somehow for lunch yesterday. And believe me it was one yummy meal.

Khatti Machli – Mackerel in a sour, Tomato-Tamarind Sauce 

I had it along with Khichdi and my family members loved the combination. The sourness of the gravy with tomatoes and tamarind gave a very good flavour to the fish. You can even have it along with Basmati Chawal or Naan ki Roti. 

Khatti Machli – Mackerel in a sour, Tomato-Tamarind Sauce 

Serves : 3 

Ingredients:

• Fresh Mackerel – cut into big pieces (or) you can use any fish you like, like Salmon, or King fish, or Snapper
• Olive Oil – 2 tbsp 
• Yellow Onion – 1, small, roughly chopped
• Red Ripe Tomato – 1, cut into quarters
• Tamarind concentrate - 2-3 tbsp
• Red Chilli Powder – 1 1/3 tsp
• Curry leaves/Karyapaar (fresh) - 8
• Black Mustard seeds – 1 1/2 tsp
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Turmeric/Haldi – 1/3 tsp
• Dry Roasted CorianderSeeds – 1 tsp
• Dry Roasted Cumin seeds – 1 tsp 

Method:

• Pour 2 tsp oil into a non stick heavy bottomed pan at medium heat. When the oil is warm enough add chopped onion, and stir fry it till lightly browned.
• In a blender container add the fried onion with oil, tomato and tamarind. Blend till its a smooth paste. You add little water to aid in blending.
• Add the remaining oil to the pan and as soon as it gets warm, throw in some curry leaves and mustard seeds. As they start to splutter, add the mixture from the blender container and let it cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Throw in the salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds. Also pour in half a cup of water and mix well.
• Add the Mackerel pieces into the cooking gravy and close the lid. Let it cook for 3 minutes. Open the lib and gently turn the pieces. Again close the lib and let it cook for 3 more minutes. Serve warm.

Suggested Accompaniments: Basmati Chawal or Naan ki Roti.

Luv,
Mona

Craving for a Quick Prawn Snack?!

Prawns are my favorite seafood, next to Salmon fish. I can have a bowl full of these prawns anytime when I find them lying in the freezer compartment and i feel like treating myself with a prawn snack.

I prepare this recipe often as it is quick with minimal use of spices, keeping the flavour of prawns the dominating one. Hmmm, i cannot wait when the its aroma fills the kitchen while its cooking on the stove. You can have this dish with Plain rice, Parathas, or store any leftover in the refrigerator, for not more than a week or in the freezer for until a month, and have it between bread as a sandwich adding all that you wish along.

Prawns are rich in proteins. Thay are also high in cholesterol, but the tendency of the body to produce more cholesterol depends on the amount of fat in a particular food. As Prawns are so low in saturated fats, the cholesterol in the Prawns does not affect much. They can be had once in two weeks for a change. People with Heart diseases and Diabetes have to consume it in moderation as advised by their doctors.

I buy frozen prawns more often here. Back in India fresh Prawns were always available. Fresh prawns can be stored till used in a bowl of cold water with ice cubes once bought from market. I buy and store the frozen prawns for almost a month in the freezer compartment. Always wash and devien the prawns before you cook them. Well, Here goes the recipe:

Talehuwe Jhinge – Simple Fried Prwans

Ingredients:

Oil – 2 tsp
Fresh/Frozen Prawns – 400 gms, deviened, and deshelled
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Water – 3/4 cup

Method:

1. Thaw the prawns and wash them well.
2. Pour oil in a pan on medium heat and throw in the prawns.
3. Stir fry them for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add salt, red chilli powder, and turmeric. Mix well.
5. Pour in water and cover the lid for 5 minutes.
6. Uncover and increase the temperature and let the water dry completely. Serve warm.

Luv,
Mona

Tuna Cutlets

Tuna is my favourite fish. I havent tried many fish as yet as I’m new here, used to have only Rohu while I was in India. But I love it a lot. I make lots of Tuna cutlets, and keep them in a plastic box in freezer for many days, so that I just have to bring them to room temperature and pop them into the pan to shallow fry them. This way I can have those whenever I want, and feel like having them. This comes especially handy during the month of Ramadhan. I prepare and store these this way, and in the month of Ramadhan, it saves a lot of time, and i can devote my time to prayers more.

I serve them as snacks with tomato ketchup, or as a side dish with Rice or Parathas. My Hubby loves them, soooo much. Try it out. Here’s the recipe guys.

Makes: 26 cutlets

Ingredients:

• Canola Oil – 2 tbsp
• Yellow Onions – 2, large size, finely chopped
• Green chillies – 10-12, finely chopped
• Tuna Flakes – 2 tins
• Salt – 2 tsp
• Red Chilli powder – 2 tsp
• Garam Masala – 1/2 tsp
• Black Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Potatoes – 3, boiled, peeled, and mashed
• Egg Whites – 3, whipped
• Bread Crumbs – 2 cups
• Canola Oil – as needed for shallow frying the patties

 

Tuna Cutlets/Patties 

Method:

• In a non stick heavy bottom pan on medium heat stir fry the onions and green chillies in oil till the raw flavour of onions is lost and they are translucent.
• Add the drained tuna flakes to the pan. Mix and let it cook for almost 20 minutes till the tuna is light brown in colour. Keep strring it occasionally ensuring it doesnt get burned.
• Add salt, red chilli powder, black pepper and garam masala.
• Add the mashed potatoes to it mix well.
• Keep stirring it continuously and let it cook for 7 minutes more.
• Once ready, keep aside and let it cool.
• Make small patties of the cooled mixture.
• Pour the whipped egg white in a cup and bread crumbs in an another cup.
• Dip the patties once in the egg white, then in the bread crumbs and store them in a plastic box if you want to store some, and arrange remaining on a tray to fry them.
• Pour oil in a pan shallow fry them till brown on both sides.
• Serve them hot.