HILSA (ILISH) DUM PUKHT

"Dum Pukht" is a slow cooking technique which is originated in India and also very popular in Pakistan. 'Nawabs of Awadh' introduced this special type of cooking method in their royal kitchen; where meat, fish, vegetables filled with spices cooked in a large sealed vessel on slow cooking in their own juices or bone- marrow. Here I cooked 'Hilsa', the king fish of Bengal in this royal cooking method. I experimented and explored it in my kitchen and trust me it came out as a mouth watery, flavourful and delicious Hilsa treat.

INGREDIENTS:
500 gm Hilsa Fish (Ilish mach)
2 Large Onions (chopped)
4 Green Cardamoms (crushed)
1 Black Cardamom (split-ed)
4-5 Black Peppercorns
2-3 Green Chilies (whole) + 2-3 Green Chilies, cut into slits
1/3 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Kashmiri Red chili Powder
1 tsp Ginger Paste
1 Cup Fresh Concentrated Coconut Milk
(Grate coconut, pour hot water in it. Keep it aside for 10 minutes and strain to get fresh coconut milk)
1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tbsps Mustard Oil
2 tbsps Clarified Butter (ghee)
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Clean and wash fish pieces nicely. Make those pieces pat dry. Marinate fish with turmeric powder and little salt, set it aside.

Grind onions with 2-3 green chilies together to make a coarse paste. Keep it aside.

Heat oil and clarified butter in a kadhai/wok. Temper with black peppercorns, green and black cardamoms. Saute for few seconds, till a nice aroma comes out. Add onion paste in it. Fry for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.

Add ginger paste and Kashmiri red chili powder in it. Fry for another 3 minutes, till spices leave oil from the sides.

Now pour coconut milk, slited green chilies and salt in it. Bring it to boil. Add fish pieces in it.Cover tightly and slow cook for 15 minutes. 

Open the lid now. Add lemon juice in it and give a nice stir. Turn off the heat. Your Hilsa Dum Pukht is ready to serve. Serve with steamed rice or pulao.

FISH CORN BALLS

Today, I am going to share a very delightful and nutritious kid's friendly snack, where fish and corn are an interesting way to eat. A great starter dish for picnic or party or potluck, sweet corn makes this dish good and healthy. Cheese adds rich, pleasing flavour. So, here is a mouth watery and finger licking recipe of 'Fish Corn Balls' for all fish lovers.

INGREDIENTS:

3 pcs / 200 gm Rohu Fish (cleaned)
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 Cup Sweet Corn (boiled for10 minutes and strained)
1/2 Cup Grated Cheese (I used 'Amul Cheese Cubes')
1 tbsp Corn Starch
2 tbsps All Purpose Flour (maida)
1 tsp Minced Ginger
1/4 tsp Black Pepper Powder
A Pinch of Soda Carb (sodium bi carbonate)
2 Finely Chopped Green Chillies (according to taste)
2 tbsps Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves / Cilantro
1/3 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder (optional)
1 tsp Bhaja Masala (dry roast 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp coriander seeds and 1 dry red chilli. Pound coarsely to get bhaja masala)
2 tsps Fresh Lemon Juice
Salt to taste
2 tbsps Oil + Oil for Deep Frying

METHOD:

Wash fish pieces nicely. Marinate it with turmeric powder and little salt. Heat 2 tbsps oil in a pan, fry the both sides of the pieces lightly. Keep aside.

Crush boiled corn. Remove skin and bones from fish. 

Take a large bowl, combine fish flesh, crushed corn, grated cheese, corn starch, APF/maida, minced ginger, black pepper powder, soda carb, green chillies, coriander leaves, Kashmiri red chilli powder, bhaja masala, lemon juice and salt. 

Mash everything and mix well.

Take a small portion from the fish-corn mixture and make a small lemon sized ball. Set it aside. Follow the same process to make rest of the balls.

In a wok, heat enough oil to deep frying. Add balls carefully in it. Don't ad more than 5-6 balls at a time. Fry till both sidesof the balls turn into golden brown. Remove from oil and place balls on a papper towel to absorb excess oil from it.

Garnish with green salad or chutney and serve immediately.

SERVES: 4
Sending to: Guru’s Cooking Giveaway Kids Special ’13

PABDA TEL BORI JHOL (LENTIL DUMPLINGS IN PABO CATFISH CURRY)

Today I am here with mouthwatering Bengali fish curry. 'Pabda' is one of the popular fishes in West Bengal as well as Bangladesh. It is popularly known in english 'Pabo Catfish', a very soft and delicate fish. Very simple and nutritious, hope I am able to do justice to the traditional form of cooking of this dish.

INGREDIENTS:
400 gm / 2 Pabo Catfishes (pabda mach), cut in halves
1 Tomato (chopped)
1/3 tsp Nigella Seeds
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
8 Lentil Dumplings (daler bori)
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
2-3 Green Chillies, cut into slits
1 tbsp + 4 tbsps Oil
1 tbsps Chopped Coriander Leaves (cilantro)
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Marinate fish pieces with little salt and turmeric powder. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a griddle, add lentil dumplings in it. fried both side till it turns golden. Set aside.

Heat 4 tbsps oil in a pan or wok. Fry fish till it turns golden from both sides. Drain oil and remove fishes.

Temper with nigella seeds and green chillies in the same oil. Add all other ingredients except fish and fried lentil dumplings. Fry till spices leave oil from the side of the wok or pan.

Add 3/4 cup water. Mix nicely.

When it starts to boil, add fried fishes and bori (fried lentil dumplings) in it. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat now.

Serve immediately with steamed rice, garnishing with chopped coriander leaves on the top.

Sending to: Taste of the Tropics @ ESHO-BOSHO-AAHARE

POT ROASTED AYER FISH

A Bengali meal is incomplete without fish. Fishes are prepared in the very nutritious and delightful ways in any Bengali daily meal or occassion. This is a particular dish of ayer fish, I innovated this luscious fish recipe , cooked in traditional onion-ginger-garlic and spicy sauce. A medium spiced juicy fish, very well goes with steamed rice.

INGREDIENTS:
400 gm Ayer Fish, cut in medium sized pieces (aar mach)
1&1/2 tsps Garlic paste
1 tsps Ginger paste
1 Medium Onion (paste)
1 tsp Black Pepper powder
2 tsps Lemon juice
2 tsps Soya Sauce
2 tsps Tomato Sauce
2 tsps Corn Flour
4 tbsps Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Wash ayer fish nicely. Drain all water from it.

Marinate fish pieces with garlic, ginger, onion, black pepper powder, lemon juice, soya sauce, tomato sauce and salt. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok. Add fish pieces on it. Keep marinated spice mix aside. Fry both sides of fish pieces till golden. Remove fish from oil by using a slotted spoon. Keep those on a plate.

Now add the juice of marination in the same oil. Fry for 4-5 minutes, till spice leaves oil from the side of wok. Now dilute corn flour with little water. Now add corn flour in wok. Mix nicely. Cook for another a minute or two. Remove from heat.

Spead spices mixture on the fried fish pieces. Serve immediately with steamed rice or fried rice or pulao.

AAR MACHER KUTTI BHAJA (SPICY FRIED AYER FISH)

'Ayer' is a silvery white fish and has a sweet taste. The meat of Ayer is succulent and flaky with very less bones in its body. So, not only me and my husband, kids also like it too much. Bengalis are generally fond of this fish and it can be cooked with various Indian spices. It is little spicy fried fish  (dry version) recipe, you can increase the spice level according to your taste. It takes just 15 minutes to make this heavenly palatable fish dish. Here is the recipe mentioned below:

INGREDIENTS:
300 gm Ayer Fish (aar mach)
1 Medium Onion
4 Pods of Garlic
1 Small Tomato (chopped)
2-3 Green Chillies (as per taste)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/3 tsp Red Chilli powder
2 tbsps Fennel seeds (paste)
1/3 tsp Freshly Grounded Garam Masala
1 tbsp Chopped Coriander Leaves
4 tbsps Mustard Oil (any oil)
Salt to taste

METHOD:
Wash fish nicely and cut it in 4 equal pieces.

Sprinkle salt and little turmeric powder on the fish pieces. Mix nicely and set aside for 10-15 minutes.

In the mean time, grind onion, garlic, turmeric powder and green chillies together. Keep it aside.

Heat mustard oil in a wok. Put fish pieces in it. Fry till fish turns into light brown. Now drain out the oil and remove the fish from wok. Set aside.

Now add grounded onion paste, fennel seeds paste, red chilli powder and garam masala in the same oil. Keep stirring continuously and fry till spices leave oil.

Add chopped tomatoes and salt in it. Fry till tomatoes turn mushy.

Put fried fish in it. Fold well, so that all spices coat fish pieces nicely. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and switch off the heat now.

Enjoy this scrumptious aar macher kutti bhaja with cooked rice accompanying with dal.

FISH CAKE

These Fish Cakes bring back memories of a big gathering at my home, a great non-vegetarian appetizer. With the addition of Indian spices, these fish cakes were really something special. A chilled winter evening can be easilly relished with these delicious luscious fish cakes and a mug of pipping hot coffee. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
15 OZ can of Tuna Fish (may use Salmon / Macherel / Cod / Bhetki too)
1 tbsp Butter
1/4 tsp Black Pepper powder
2 Cloves Garlic (crushed)
2 Medium sized Potatoes (Parboiled)
2 tbsps Chickpea Flour (Besan)
1 Medium Sized Onion (finely chopped)
1" Ginger (minced)
2 tbsps finely chopped Cilantro / Parshley Leaves
1/2 tsp Chaat Masala
1 tbsp Lime Juice (fresh)
1/2 tsp Roasted Cumin seeds powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1-2 Green Chillies (chopped)
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
1/2 Cup Bread Crumb
Salt to taste
Canola Oil for frying

METHOD:
Heat butter in a pan. Add cushed garlic in it. Saute for 30 seconds, add drained tuna fish now.

Sprinkle black pepper powder and little salt in it. Fry for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Set it aside.

Mash parboiled potatoes in a large bowl.

Combine fish, chickpea flour, onion, ginger, green chillies, cilantro, chaat masala, lime juice, roasted cumin seeds powder, garam masala, green chillies, red chilli powder and salt with the mashed potatoes now.

Using by hand, mix up nicely so that there should not be any lump.

Take a ball (small amount) from the dough, give it a flat oval shape by using two palms. Roll on bread crumb. Keep aside. Follow the same process to make all fish cakes.

Heat canola oil in a deep fry pan. Fry 3-4 fish cakes at a time. Fry till it turns golden brown. Remove from oil by a slotted spoon and drain on a kitchen paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Fry all cakes following the same process.

Serve hot with chilli garlic sauce.

Enjoy Winter's evening with this delectable evening snack or appetizer!

Sending to: 60 days to Christmas @ Cook like Priya & You Too Can Cook - Indian Food Recipes