Capers from the coast

Local coastal cuisine comes with its wonderful masalas, flavours and textures. Here are two quick recipes to make a meal out of the fish you get in your local market. Do ensure, it’s fresh and the gills are still reddish in colour.

Bolanjir Jeera Meera
(Silver fish marinated with freshly pounded peppers, cumin and deep fried)

INGREDIENT FOR PASTE:

• l 50 gm red chilli
• l 5 gm pepper
• l 5 gm jeera    
• l 5 gm coriander seeds
• l 10 ml coconut oil

OTHER INGREDIENTS

• l 300 gm Indian anchovy
• l Juice of 1 lime
• l 10 gm ginger-garlic paste
• l 10 gm chilli powder
• l 500 ml oil for frying
• l 20 ml ghee
• l 2 gm curry leaves
• l 10 gm crushed jeera
• l 5 gm crushed pepper
• l 10 gm chopped garlic
• l Salt to taste

METHOD
Roast the masala ingredients with coconut oil, and make a fine paste. Marinate Indian anchovy with lime juice, salt, ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, set it aside for half an hour. Deep fry Indian anchovy, and keep it aside. Heat the ghee in a pan, add chopped garlic, curry leaves, add masala paste and cook well. Add crushed jeera and pepper, cook for a few minutes. Add fried anchovies and toss well. Finish by adding little lemon juice.

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Maanji Masala Fry
(Whole white pomfret cooked with a blend of chilli and fresh ground masala)

INGREDIENTS

• l 6 White pomfret fish
• l ½ tsp chilli powder
• l ½ tsp turmeric
• l Juice of 1 lime
• l 3 tbsp oil
• l A few curry leaves
• l Salt to taste
• l 1 chopped onion

MASALA INGREDIENTS

• l 6 no Byadgi chillies
• l 1 tsp cumin
• l 1 onion
• l 5 pods of garlic    
• l 1 tomato
• l 1 tbsp vinegar

METHOD
Clean fish, make a few slits on both sides. Mix chilli powder, turmeric, lime juice and a little salt into a paste with water and apply it on both sides of the fish and set aside for about half hour. Grind the masala ingredients into a fine paste. Heat oil and sauté the chopped onion with curry leaves. Add ground masala and fry till it is cooked and the oil separates. Check the seasoning. Add the marinated fish and cook gently on slow fire ensuring the masala coats the fish on both sides.