Methi Fish – Fish with Fenugreek leaves

A combination dish which came up as I wanted to prepare both fish and methi leaves. A very flavorful dish, probably is a specialty of Bengali, Punjabi cuisine. The use of fenugreek seeds for tempering gives a wonderful aroma to the dish. I cooked this dish in tomato and to add a touch of variation, one could add yogurt to this dish while cooking. I personally do not mix milk products and seafood while cooking nor do I  combine them in my meals. Recipe for this flavorful dish follows !

Ingredients:
4 fish pieces

4 cups of fresh fenugreek leaves
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 large tomato, finely chopped
2 tsp chili powder or according to taste
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
1/2 lemon juice

Preparation Method:
1. Rub salt to the fish pieces and keep aside, then rinse.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add the fenugreek seeds and saute till dark brown. Then remove the seeds from the oil.
3. Add onions in the same oil and saute till translucent.
4. Add ginger garlic paste and saute.
5. Add finely chopped tomatoes, chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder and let it cook till the mixture turns into a sauce like consistency.Stir in the fenugreek leaves.
6. Add the fish pieces,salt, little water(if desired) and let it cook on a slow flame.
7. Squeeze in some lemon juice before serving.

Serves: 2
Preparation time: 20 mins

Variation: One could add about 2 cups of thick beaten yogurt to make a gravy.

Dry Shrimps in Tomatoes & Tomatillos

Recipe: Dry shrimps cooked with tomatoes and tomatillos !

 

Recipes using dry shrimp, dry salted fish, either you love these or simply hate them due to the smell of the dry shrimps..two extreme cases, I believe its a acquired taste and takes a while to like dishes with dry shrimps. I fall under the first category, being bought up closer to the Indian west coast, it is very natural to include seafood in the diet. Mostly the dry fish/shrimps are used during the monsoon or rainy season as most often fishing is not allowed or people don’t venture into seas during this time of the season.

Very simple and easy,  the original recipe calls for raw tomatoes, but I use tomatillos as they look and taste like raw/green tomatoes plus they give a nice tangy flavor to the recipe. Serve this as a side with bhakri/akki rotti or plain white rice !

Ingredients:
3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
4 tomatillos, finely chopped (one can use green/raw tomatoes too !)
1 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup dry shrimps, small, rinsed
2 tbsp of oil
1 tsp chili powder or according to taste
1 tsp of coriander powder
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
pinch of turmeric
salt to taste

Preparation Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onions till translucent.
2. Add the chopped tomatillos and tomatoes and sauté for few minutes.
3. Add salt, chili powder, turmeric and dry shrimps. Add water according to consistency required and let it cook.
4. Give a stir and remove from heat.
5. Serve with plain white rice or bhakri/rotti.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Serves: 2 –4

Note: Do not cook dry shrimps if you are planning to have visitors at home :-)
One can replace tomatillos with raw/green tomatoes

Green Fish Curry (Fish in Coconut & Mango Masala)

Fish pieces cooked in coconut, raw mango and spice masala !

It has been a while I’ve posted on the blog and thought of posting this recipe. Having prepared this curry, I had to take the time to post it on the blog. As it is I don’t have that many seafood recipes posted on my blog and therefore a good one to start with. I’ve bought some good amount of salmon/tilapia from the market and so don’t be astonished to see couple of seafood recipes coming soon !!

It’s a mango season in India and couldn’t stop not having to use mangoes in cooking. This recipe using green/raw mangoes for the sour taste and one can use tamarind/kokum to impart the flavors. But if you need a nice go green color to the dish, it is better to use the raw mango. The other unique thing about the dish is not having to temper the curry as the coconut and fish oils are sufficient enough to not have any extra oil in the dish !

Ingredients:
3 fillets tilapia (6 – 8 pieces)
salt to taste
Grind
1 cup fresh/frozen coconut
1/3 cup raw/green mango, peeled, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 cup onion,chopped
2 –3 green chilies or according to taste
2 –3 big garlic cloves
1/4 in of ginger piece
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 in cinnamon

Preparation Method:
1. Apply salt to tilapia pieces and leave it for few minutes. Rinse
2. Grind all the ingredients mentioned above into a fine paste.
3. Transfer the masala paste in a vessel. Add water according to consistency required (do not make watery though !)
4. Bring it to boil. Add tilapia fish pieces and salt.
5. Let it simmer for few minutes. Serve with rice.

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Serves: 4

Note: Use a coffee grinder to powder the spices if preferred