Looks fishy to me…

It is widely considered as brain food and one of the healthier of food choices, and can also lend itself to a variety of tastes and preparations

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

Three times a week. That’s how often you must have fish in your diet, say experts. Well, if you like variety, here’s a sample of how you can have it seven times a week. And since we are celebrating India this fortnight, how about seven different Indian ways of cooking fish? Read on!

500 gms white-fleshed fish fillets such as snapper, barramundi or ocean perch

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp brown or black mustard seeds

½ tsp fenugreek seeds

3 dried red chilli peppers

500 gms (about 3 medium) brown onions, halved and thinly sliced

2 tbsp fresh grated ginger

2 tbsp crushed garlic

36 fresh curry leaves

3 tsp ground turmeric

2-4 tbsp chilli powder

2 tomatoes, unpeeled, coarsely chopped

1 ½ cups coconut cream

1 tsp tamarind concentrate

Salt to taste

Juice of half a lemon

Remove skin from fish fillets then cut into 2 cm x 5 cm pieces. Set aside. In a karhai or wok, heat oil over low heat. Add mustard seeds and cook until seeds crackle, about 30 seconds. Add fenugreek seeds and chilli peppers and cook, stirring, until seeds turn golden brown and chilli peppers are deep golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add onions and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 1 minute. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in coconut cream and tamarind, and season with salt.

Stir in fish pieces and simmer, covered, until fish is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Serve immediately with rice.

Reproduced with permission from Indian Home Cooking by Jan Purser and Ajoy Joshi (2003). Ajoy is founder of Nilgiri’s Restaurant, 81 Christie St, St. Leonards, NSW (Ph 02 9966 0636)

Anil Ashokan’s Tuna with Fenugreek and Dill (Methi Suva Machchi)

600 gms yellowfin tuna fillets

½ bunch fresh fenugreek

¼ bunch fresh dill

¼ bunch fresh spearmint

¼ bunch fresh coriander

2 green chillies

½ tsp fennel seeds

Salt

Oil to pan-fry

Juice of 1 lemon

Trim tuna fillets and cut into thick steaks. Pick and chop all the herb leaves individually. Slit green chillies, remove all the seeds and chop finely. Dry-roast fennel seeds very lightly on gentle heat, then crush with mortar and pestle. In a bowl, mix the chopped herbs, chillies, fennel seeds and some salt. Season the tuna with salt. Heat oil and quickly seal tuna in a very hot pan. Sprinkle with some lemon juice, then roll in the chopped herb mix. Press between the palms of your hands to get all the greens to adhere to the tuna. Place on an oiled baking tray. Cook in a preheated 180 degree oven to the desired degree of doneness, roughly 3 minutes.

(If fresh fenugreek is not available, use dried fenugreek but reduce the quantity because the taste varies drastically. The seeds from the chillies are completely removed from this recipe as the desired result is not too spicy, but you can adjust the chilli to suit your palate).

Reproduced with permission from Qmin: A Fresh New Approach to Indian Cuisine by Anil Ashokan (2008). Anil is founder of Mace Restaurant (formerly Qmin), 207 Pacific Highway, St Leonards NSW (Ph 02 9966 5557)

Curried Leather Jacket

1 leather jacket, medium sized

1 tsp salt

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 tsp grated ginger

Green chilli to taste, seeded and finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

2 sprigs curry leaf

1 tsp mustard seeds

½ cup fresh coriander leaves coriander powder, if you wish. However, it is nice to let the flavour of the curry leaves dominate in this simple preparation. Serve hot with rice.

Juice of half a lemon.

Bengali Fish Curry

4 small to medium barramundi fillets

2 tbsp mustard seeds

Green chillies to taste

½ tsp five-spice mix (panch phoran)

½ tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

2 tbsp oil seeds and sugar. Add just enough water to blend well. Then taste for salt, and add lemon juice.

Marinate in salt and lemon juice for about half an hour.

Make a batter of the besan and all other ingredients. Drain fish on a tea-towel or kitchen paper to remove excess moisture, then put into batter. Keep marinated for about an hour. Then deep fry to golden, and serve hot with lemon wedges and onion slices.

Wash fish, cut off fins and trim tail. Use a sharp knife to make cuts on either side. Rub salt and turmeric powder on both sides and set aside for five minutes. Then rub ginger and garlic on both sides and set aside for a further ten minutes.

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed flat pan. Put in mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. When the seeds begin to splutter, introduce the fish gently. Allow to sizzle for a couple of minutes, then put in half a cup of water (or more, depending on size of the fish). After about five minutes, turn fish over gently. Make sure there is just enough water to prevent the fish sticking to the base. Throw in the fresh coriander, add lemon juice and cover. The fish should be done in a few minutes.

You could add other spices such as

Gently rub salt and ¼ tsp of the turmeric to the fish and set aside for 5-7 minutes. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and fry the fish carefully till golden on both sides. Remove onto kitchen paper and keep aside. Blend together the mustard seeds and green chillies adding enough water to get a paste. Mustard seeds are hard to grind so this may take a while. Add the panch phoran to hot oil and then pour on to mustard paste. Cook for 4-5 minutes and then introduce the fish. Adjust the water if needed, also the salt. Cook till fish is done, about 10 minutes till done.

Garnish with fresh coriander to serve.

Amritsari fish

1 kg white fish fillets (such as snapper, mahi mahi, perch, bream, gemfish or flounder)

Juice of 4 lemons

Salt to taste

¾ cup besan (gram flour)

2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

2 tsp ajwain

Red chillies to taste

½ tsp pepper

1 ½ tsp chaat masala

Oil for deep frying

Lemon wedges and onion slices to garnish

Cut the fish into 5cm x 3 cm pieces.

A healthier version would be the fish tikka, which is pan-fried rather than deep-fried. You would use the same ingredients as above to marinate the fish, but also add in some yogurt (or a combination of cream and yogurt) to bring in the softness. Flavour is often introduced to the fish tikka by also adding mint and coriander chutney to the marinade.

Fish in Banana Leaves

(Patra Ni Machchi)

4 banana leaves, wiped dry

1 kg white fish fillets

1 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

½ tsp turmeric powder

Red chilli powder to taste

1 ¼ cups fresh grated coconut

Green chillies to taste

3 garlic pods

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp sugar

2 ¼ cups coriander leaves, chopped

2 tbsp mint leaves chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp vinegar

Cut banana leaves off the centre vein, into sheets large enough to individually wrap each piece of fish. Grease each leaf with a little oil.

Gently rub fish with salt, turmeric and red chilli powder, and set aside for about 5 minutes.

Grind together coconut, coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chillies, garlic, cumin

Coat each piece of fish with this herb mix, and place on a banana leaf. Roll up the leaf from the sides, tuck in edges and secure with a toothpick or tie up with a piece of string. Cook in a steamer over boiling water for about 10-12 minutes. To check if done, use a fork to see if fish flakes easily.

Goan Style Fish Curry

Nisteachi Coddi

1 kg white fish fillets

Dry red chillies to taste

¾ cup coconut

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

¼ cup oil

1 large onion, chopped fine ½ tsp turmeric powder

1 sprig curry leaves

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp tamarind paste

Green chillies to taste

Salt to taste

Grind red chillies, coconut, cumin and coriander seeds to a paste, adding a little water from time to time. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and add onions. Cook till lightly browned. Introduce the coconut paste, salt and turmeric powder. Cook, stirring, till oil begins to separate. Throw in the curry leaves now, and the tomatoes and a little water. Cook till tomatoes are done and blended with the rest of the ingredients into a sauce. Then add green chillies and tamarind paste and mix well. Taste for salt, and add some water. Bring to a boil, turn heat down and introduce the fish. Cook, stirring gently, till fish is done.