Not-in-a-mood >> Fish Stir Fry

I was in no mood to cook. Decided whatever needs to be done, will have to be in half an hour. So this was the result. What do you think?

Coat 250 -500  gms fish with salt and turmeric. 

Pour 2 tablespoons oil and add the fish when oil is hot. Let it brown on both sides. Push aside the fish pieces and in the centre where some oil remains (add a little if its too less), add 1 spoon of coriander powder, 1/2 tsp of chilly powder, 1 tsp garlic crushed, 1-2 tablespoon tomato ketchup, 1/4 tsp soya sauce, 2-3 slit green chillies. Mix the mixture and coat the fish pieces with it. garnish with coriander.

Serve as a side with rice.

Haven't been cooking much. Will be back soonish :-)!

Effortless Stir Fry >>Chilly-Garlic Fish

 

When I am in no mood to cook, I make stir fries- with just about anything that’s in the fridge. The freezer had just one Bahsa fillet, so I decided to toss it with whatever remained in the fridge- I found a few sprigs of spring onions, green bell peppers, a few asparagus. Here’s was I did-

Apply a few drops of Vinegar, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon red chilly powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the fish and set aside for 5 minutes. In 2 teaspoons of oil fry the fish until brown on both sides- ensure you do this very carefully. The fillets tend to break. Once done, keep aside.

Add another teaspoon of oil to the wok and add  chopped garlic- about 2 pods. To that add all the vegetables, 2 slit green chillies and sauté for about a minute. Don’t over cook it- the fun lies in crunchy veggies. Add the fish to this and sprinkle some salt, pinch of sugar, 1 spoon tomato ketchup, and 1/2 teaspoon corn starch dissolved in 2 tbsps of water. This makes the dish a wee bit wet, and coats the fish making it softer.

Voila! You’re done! Serve it hot with Noodles, fried rice or just have this by itself as a high protein diet meal!

Have a lovely week ahead!

Sasuri’s Doi Maach / Fish in Spicy Yoghurt Sauce

This one is Via Ma-in-law. A little twisted to my liking of course! One of the many reasons I feared marrying a Bengali was the idea of eating fish everyday. I couldn't stand the smell of fish back then. That’s when Ma would make Doi Maach for me, which surprisingly would smell of spices and tasted liked heaven. Ma's version of Doi Maach has green chillies, was sweeter and had no onions. I tried this the other day for Ananya, and she can vouch for this recipe! Well, between us we finished two full fish fillets!!

For the marinade: 500 gms of firm white river fish / fish fillets. Add 1 big cup of yoghurt, 1 –2 bay leaves, 2-3 cardamom pods, 1 inch stick of cinnamon, 2 –3 cloves, 2 pinches of turmeric. Mix all together and put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours at least.

After 2-3 hours, take out the marinated fish.

Step 1: In a small non-stick pan, sauté 1 small grated Onion/paste in 2 table spoons of mustard oil. Add green chillies, 1/2 teaspoon of ginger grated (optional), 1-2 teaspoons of red chilly powder. Sauté till oil separates.

Step 2: Add the marinated fish with spices to the sautéed onion paste in the pan. Coat the fish with the masala. Turn the flame to the low. This is important as Doi Maach is made over very low flame. Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and salt to taste.

Cover it and let it simmer over low flame for about 10-12 minutes.

 

After 10-12 minutes, you’ll see the yoghurt has diluted, oil separated and there is enough gravy. If you think you need more gravy just add a little warm water to it. The fish will be cooked by now. Check with a fork if you are unsure. Just before you transfer the fish into a serving bowl, add about 1/2 teaspoon of mustard oil for the flavour.

Serve with piping hot rice!

Bon Appetite!

Top tips: Some make this without red chilly powder, onions and ginger, like Ma. That tastes equally good. Try either, they both have knock out taste!

Fish in barbeque and Mushroom sauce

Cooking was never easier. Ever since we’ve moved to Sydney, I have been spending an insane number of hours in the kitchen. Not that I have a choice. So thought, I might as well enjoy what I have to do. I have never really enjoyed fish all that much. But the fish fillets you get here are oh so convenient to make and really tasty. At least they appeal to my palate as the river fish varieties we get here are not smelly and great tasting.

Here is something I tried recently-

You need:

1. 1 full Fish Fillet (I used Bahsa)

2. 1/2 cup Barbeque Sauce

3. 4-5 Button/medium sized Mushrooms diced

4. Steamed Vegetables of your choice- I used broccoli, beans, carrots, corn, capsicum, Asparagus

5. Salt to taste, lime juice 1 spoon

6. 1 spoon Garlic- crushed

7. 2-4 teaspoons Olive oil

Method:

Rub salt and lime juice to the fillet. Leave aside for 15 minutes. In a pan take some olive oil, add the whole fish fillet to it. Pan fry it until golden brown. keep aside.

Pour the remaining oil in the pan, add the crushed garlic to it, add the diced mushrooms and sauté it for about 2 minutes. Pour the barbeque sauce and add some salt to it. If the sauce is very thick, add a little water, depending on the consistency you like.

You have two options: either you add the fish to the pan and roll it in the sauce or, place the fish on a plate and pour sauce over it.

Stir fry the steamed veggies in a little butter (optional), or just have it steamed.

Tastes totally out of this world!