Thursday, March 16, 2006

Mom's Fish Curry


This looks exactly like how my Mom cooks fish curry.Tasted as good. Love you mom...
First few times I cooked the fish curry in my mother's style, I had to juggle between the phone and the skillet, like I did most of my dishes during the early days when I started to cook a few years back, when I decided it was enough- depending upon Street food. After spending years in Hostels and suchlikes, I decided to take it into my own hands. Being the independent kind, it was too much having to depend on others for a meal eh... and Home, I visit only about twice a year. My favorite holiday spot you see.... Five star treatment, Mother's Food, etc etc. Oh! I have been staying away since I was 10, and now I am at wrong side of bachelorhood already...
Oh so I started learning to cook too. And do away with that horrible delivered tiffin or hotels yuck..
How often would you go to a fancy restaurant for dinner. At one point of time I used to have chicken fried rice everyday at this hotel, and another point I had this veg pulao everyday. Yuck!!! to think back.
Then Mobile phone happened, and I did a tele-cooking course, long distance lol from mom.the fish curry was one of the first I learnt.Mom has a unique way of cooking it.
We use the same masala as everyone else, like everyone does. Good cookiong is in the timing, like all good Maharaj's say back home. You know those Brahmin maharaj, who cooks the grand feast.The better ones uses the same masala as the OK ones.
It is all there in the timing.
When you put the salt, and when you put that turmeric..
The right brown of the onions...

Oh! The Fish Curry...

Ingredients:

5-6 Rohu Fish steak, Shallow fried on both side till colour changes to darkish yellow. ( Little lighter than this)

Blogger conked out while writing this yesterday.. Will write up the rest later tonight..

Blogger is fine now... The server was down for a long time yesterday..
Sorry, and hey.. I SEEM to have been neglecting my blog a lot..tsk tsk...
I haven't updated in 3 days...hmmphhh!


Other than the fried steaks, You will need,

One large Poatato cut into thin cubes like you see above.
One medium or small onion chopped fine.
1 TSp of ginger garlic paste ( best is the home crushed one)
1 tsp each of Jeera and Methi soaked in water.
Bayleaves
Pinch of heeng
Half a cup of green peas, frozen ones will do ( Optional if peas are not available)
Two tomatoes chopped roughly.
Two green chillis sliced in halves.

3/4th tsp each jeera powder and dhania powder and red chilli powder, and
Some turmeric, 1/3rd to half a Tsp depending on the quality of turmeric mixed.
Mix the jeera powder, dhania powder, turmeric and chilli powder and make into a thin paste buy adding water.


Heat 2 tbs Mustard oil, heat till fumes arises, and there are no more bubbles.
{bubbles form when you heat mustard oil}

Add 2 bayleaves, and add the pre-soaked whole methi and jeera.
Add a pinch of Heeng.
Immediately add the onions and fry till slightly golden brown.
Add the ginger garlic paste.
Add the potatoes and peas, and saute for a few minutes.
Cover and cook in very low heat for five minutes.
Add the thin masala paste.
Saute for 5 more minutes and Add the fish.
Saute very lightly so that fish don't break yet mixes well with the masala.
Lower heat and cook in low heat for about 10 minutes, turning the same from time to time so that it don't get burned. Add the tomatoes in bewteen about halfway.

Add 3 cups of hot water. Add salt to taste.
Let it boil and cook for 10 more minutes in medium heat.
Check if potatoes are cooked. ( by pressing with back of spoon)

When potatoes are cooked, garnish with coriander and eat with Rice..
Yummmm

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20 Comments:

Blogger Annita said...

Waiting to read the rest Antony..That photo is sooo tempting...

3/17/2006 12:17:00 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Yummy yum. Drooling. I´m a fish curry maniac.

3/17/2006 01:19:00 AM  
Blogger Kitchenmate said...

Tony: Looking so delicious, will try this (joins my "must-dos")
Oh boy! my list keeps growing:)

3/17/2006 01:42:00 AM  
Blogger Kitchenmate said...

Tony: Here is my entry for this week's Curry Mela.
http://kitchenmate.blogspot.com/2006/03/chicken-soup-with-vegetables.html#links
--Karthi

3/17/2006 02:09:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

when do you add the tomatoes ?!!!

3/17/2006 03:23:00 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Hi Tony. Nearly forgot that it's Friday(again). Here's my contribution for this week's Curry Mela http://pusiva.blogspot.com/2006/03/food-that-id-die-for-2.html

Thanx

3/17/2006 03:49:00 PM  
Blogger reshma said...

I agree that timing is very crucial in cooking, especially when dealing with spices- learnt it the hard way :)Rohu=king fish, eh?
I would love to see more such authentic Manipuri dishes.

3/17/2006 09:08:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

3/17/2006 11:02:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

3/17/2006 11:08:00 PM  
Blogger Admin said...

@ annita: Its up dear.. I was at ur site.. u have an amazing blog going

@ Pushpa: That's great Pushpa.. I make some amazing fish curries. Someday maybe ;-), I would treat you to one..

Kitchenmate: I am so flattered. thank you again and thanks for the entry..
Anon; OOps I am sorry about that. Actually the blogger had some problems and I couldn't complete the post earlier, so when i did completed it, i missed it. But don't give the tomatoes when you are sauteing the masalas and stuff. i put it after i have put the water, and the tomatoes are semi hard..

3/17/2006 11:09:00 PM  
Blogger Admin said...

@ Pushpa: Thanks for the entry..

@ Reshma: I don't know if it is called king fish, but it sure is a King of fishes. Since I stay away from home so far, i don't have the right ingredients to prepare many manipuri dishes.... I just try to cook and post a few easy to cook recipes so that even bachelors living away from home might find it useful...

But as and when i can, i will surely post some..and when i go home next i am going to learn from a proper maharaj

3/17/2006 11:13:00 PM  
Blogger Kay said...

Wow! Delicious it looks! :)

Reshma&Tony, Rohu is not 'King fish' but yes, it is the kind of fishes, when it comes to fish curries. :) King fish is also called King Mackerel/ Sheela/ Vanjaram/ Neimeen/ Surmai and it's excellent for fish frys. But I've never tasted fish better than rohu for fish curries! :)

3/18/2006 01:23:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow..it is simply gr8..and it goes to my "Must try" list..

3/18/2006 03:54:00 AM  
Blogger Vineela said...

Hi,
U r blog is like a dictionary to everybody whomever loves food.
i like the way of ur concept
vineela

3/18/2006 05:25:00 AM  
Blogger Ashwini said...

Sigh sigh....fish curry. You are going great guns Tony. And Happy Holi

3/18/2006 10:22:00 AM  
Blogger Admin said...

@ Kay: Thank you very much Kay for the info... And I love Surmai fry, even surmai curry. It can be cooked the same way as I have cooked this dish.. Only put the fish after you have put the water and it starts boilning. I love the smell, though some people don't like the smell much, like my new roomie.

@ Annita: Thnk you so much.

@Saltnpepper: I am flattered, and I am loving it.lol Thnks anyway

@Ashwini: Thnk you dear, if you are wondering what happened toi my curry mela, i am compiling it right now. *Unfortunately, my braodband account expired yesterday at midnight, so here I am at a cyber cafe... I can't let the curry mela miss lol...

3/18/2006 11:53:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

When do you add hing????

3/26/2006 01:10:00 PM  
Blogger Admin said...

OH sorry about the miss... You add just before you add the Onions.

3/26/2006 01:36:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey guys, i'm not an manipuri...but ya wanna knw bout the manipuri dishes...hey can any1 help out of the so called dish NAARI/NAARY( IM NOT SURE BOUT THE SPELLING)...

11/03/2007 08:23:00 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

hi anonymous its ngari.ngari is not dish its an ingredient we add to make a dish.there are several kind of ngari dish.come to manipur we will serve u the best manipuri dish

5/28/2010 01:47:00 AM  

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