Showing posts with label Fish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fish. Show all posts

Sunday, 24 June 2018

Chingri or prawn is always favorite sea food for us. In Bengali cousin we have lot of famous dishes with prawns like Lou chingri, Chingri malaicurry, Vapa chingri, Dab chingri etc. Actually prawn has an awesome taste which can turn any dish a delicious one from a very average. And cooking time is also very short. In my blog you will get lots of recipe with prawn. This time I am sharing steamed prawn recipe which is one of our favorite prawn recipe.
I learned this dish from my mom and she learned from her friend. In this recipe I added coconut but my mom and aunt never added it. One of friend said they generally add poppy seed paste. But we don’t. Some people obviously will say no need to use chopped onion but I  used. If you want to skip coconut, onion you can. Even you can add poppy seed paste. But don’t replace mustard paste. Without mustard paste this dish will be incomplete. In most of the steamed recipe in Bengali cousin you will get use of mustard paste because of its pungent taste, which makes the dish more sumptuous. For more steamed fish recipe you can check vapa Ilish recipe in my blog.
The quantity of ingredients is for 2 persons.

prawn steamed with mustard paste - Bengali recipe
Steamed Prawn or Vapa Chingri

Ingredients:

Prawns – 15/20 medium size
Mustard paste – 1tbsp
Coconut paste – 1tbsp
Chopped onion – 1small size
Salt
Turmaric powder – 1 tsp
Mustard oil – 1and1/2 tbsp
Green chilli – 5/6pcs

Recipe:

Clean the prawns, deveined and deshell it. If you want to keep head portion you can keep.
Take a mixing bowl and put all ingredients except green chilli and oil.
Mix it and add ½ tbsp oil in it.
Now take a steel tiffin box and put the mixed prawn with spices.
Drizzle remaining oil on it and put green chillies.
Cover the box.
Now you have to steam it.
Take a large vessel and put some water.
Then keep a small stand in the vessel and keep the box on the stand.
Cover the vassal and steam it for 10 - 12 minutes.
Prawn cooks very fast.
When the water comes to normal temperature, remove the box and your steamed prawn is ready.
Serve with hot steamed rice and enjoy your meal.


Sunday, 10 December 2017

Bengalis are fond of different type of chops - aloor choop (potato fritters), onion fritters, vegetable chop, dimer chop or egg devil, fish chop or macher chop etc. Hot chops and tea with a group of friends and relatives is the ideal way of spending evenings after a hard working day or even after a lazy afternoon siesta on holidays. Fish has a special place in Bengali cuisine. So it is obvious there will be fish chops when we are discussing various types of chops from Bengali food habits. Fish fry can again be of many types and is made of different types of fish. Today I would like to share my recipe of fish chop that I made on a chilly winter when a couple of my friends came to visit our place. This is prepared with a normal fish.

To make it clear to all, fish chop is different from fish fry. See the different type of fish fry recipes from my blog.

Ingredients:

Ruhu or katla fish – 10 pcs
Chopped onion – 2 medium
Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tsp
Chopped green chilli – 1tsp
Chopped coriander leaves – ½ cup
Salt
Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
Bread crumbs – 200 gms
Egg – 1
Red chilli powder – 10 pcs
Cumin seeds – 2 tbsp
Cloves – 10 pcs
 Green cardamoms – 10 pcs
Cinnamon – 2 inches
Bread without side – 4-5 pcs
Regular flour – ¾ tbsp
Oil – 2 tbsp
Oil for deep-frying

Recipe:

  1. Marinate the fish pieces and boil it till cook.
  2. In a pan dry roast the whole spices like cumin seeds, dry red chilli, green cardamoms, cloves and grind it. Grind it till it becomes like powder and keep aside with a lid for aroma.
  3. Now take the boiled fish and smash it. At this time remove the skin and bones.
  4. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and put the chopped onion and sauté it.
  5. Remove from heat and add the fish. Then add ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chilli, coriander leaves and salt and mix it.
  6. Now add bread slices and mix it very gently. These bread slices help to bind the dough.
  7. Then add the powdered spices and mix very well to make a dough.
  8. Make some balls from this dough and give shape as per your choice, I made here oval shape.
  9. Take a bowl and beat an egg with a pinch of salt.
  10. Take some regular flour in a plate and roll each chop to coat with flour.
  11. Now dip the flour coated balls into beaten egg.
  12. Take bread crumbs in a flat plate and role all the balls nicely, make sure all balls coated nicely with crumbs.
  13. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying and fry them till golden brown.
  14. Serve hot with salad and tomato sauce or kasundi (Bengali mustard sauce). I always prefer kasundi.

**If you want you can make the chops early and keep in refrigerator. Whenever you need just take it out of the refrigerator and fry them.
       **If you use regular flour, chops will consume less oil. Whenever you make any deep fried starter which will be coated with bread crumbs or anything else, try to coat them with flour first.

Saturday, 10 September 2016

Wow….malvani food………one of my favourite cuisine. Malvani cuisine belongs from Konkan belt of Maharashtra and Goa, and some northern part of west Karnataka. Mainly malvani food is dominated by non-veg food, but you will get many famous veg dishes.
You can get here different types of uses of coconut and this is very common ingredient in this cuisine. Many dry masalas like dry red chillies, pepper corn, poppy seeds, cardamom, cumin and coriander seeds are generally used to make different types of spices for different dishes.

Ingredients:

Surmai fish (king fish) – 4 pcs
Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Rice flour – 2 tbsp
Semolina (suji) – 2 tbsp
Oil – 2-3 tbsp.
Salt
picture of a malwani fish fry
Malvani Fish Fry

Recipe:

Marinate the fish with lemon juice, salt and 1tsp ginger-garlic paste.
Keep aside it for 10-15 minutes.
Now take a bowl and mix remaining ginger- garlic paste, turmeric powder and chilli powder.
Rub this mixture gently on the fish and keep aside for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes take a plate and put the rice powder and semolina.
Now coat the marinated fish with it.
Heat oil in a fry pan and just shallow fry the fishes till golden.

Serve hot with salad.

Sunday, 7 August 2016

Bengalis wait thrgoughout the year fir the rainy season for Hilsa or Ilish to arrive at the market. Hilsa is the most popular fish in Bengal for its aroma and flavor. Traditionally Bengalis stick to their Sorse Ilish (Hilsa in Mustard Gravy) or Bhapa Ilish (Steamed Hilsa) which really has no comparison with any other recipe when savored with hot steamed rice. But Hilsa in Curd Gravy is also becoming popular in Bengali kitchens. Earlier I have also tried Butter Hilsa. This time I was thinking of trying something completely different and came with the idea of preparing hilsa in continental style with herbs, olive oil, mayonnaise and cheese. This turned out to be really good and is an instant hit at my home. Find below the recipe and let me know how you feel about it.

Ingredients:

Hilsa fish – 2 pcs
Mayonnaise – 1 tbsp
Mozzarella cheese – 1 tbsp
Tomato sauce – 2 tsp
Mustard sauce – 2 tsp
Chopped parsley or any herbs as you like
Salt
Sugar
Olive oil – 2/3 tbsp

hilsa recipe in continental style
Hilsa with Herbs - a fusion of Bengali and continental flavors

Recipe:

Marinate the fish with salt and lightly fry it in olive oil, shift from the pan and keep aside.
Now take a bowl and mix mayonnaise, grated cheese, tomato sauce, pinch of sugar, mustard sauce and beat it very well.
In the same oil (in which you fried the fish), put this cheese – mayonnaise mixture and stir it occasionally for around 1 minute and add salt.
Now add that fried fish and add ¼ cup of water.
Wait for 2 minutes and sprinkle some chopped parsley or any other herbs and serve hot.
In this recipe I used dried parsley because at that moment fresh parsley was not available in my kitchen.
Serve with plain rice or any Indian bread.

Please let me know how you feel. Happy cooking J

Friday, 6 March 2015

Fish kaviraji cutlet is a very mouthwatering snack and is very popular in Bengal. Actually Bengali occasions are incomplete without any form of fish fry. It can be better fish fry, fish kabiraji, topse fry or fish cutlet. This Bengali style fish fry is called Fish Kabiraji Cutlet. This cutlet has a specialty that is the cutlet is wrapped by egg which is very crunchy and has no specific shape. It is specially made by fillets of Bhetki fish or any boneless fish. But obviously nothing compares the taste of Bhetki. Even if you are a calorie conscious person, you will forget about calories once you taste this kabiraji cutlet.

This type cutlet is crispy but not very hard like other type of cutlets. This is a medium version of fish batter fry and fish cutlet.

When I was child I had tasted it for the first time in a marriage ceremony. After that I have tried it so many times in various occasions but still, the first tried kabiraji is very nostalgic to me for its taste. I am a fish lover like other Bengali. I love every types of fish preparation but fish kabiraji is very special.  The aromas of fish fry attracts me so much that wherever and whenever I get the aroma, I start filling hungry. J

bengali style kaviraji fish cutlet
Fish Kabiraji Cutlet

Ingredients for fish kabiraji:

Fish fillets – 4 pieces
Egg – 4
Ginger paste – 1tsp
Garlic paste – 1tsp
Onion paste – 2 tbsp
Lemon juice – 1tsp
Salt
 Black pepper powder
Soda bai carb – 1 pinch
Bread crumbs
White oil

How to make fish kabiraji:

Marinate the fish lemon juice, onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, pepper powder and salt. Keep aside for sometimes like 30-45 minutes.

Now take a flat plate and spread the bread crumbs. Then coat the fish fillets one by one and keep aside.

Take a bowl and beat one egg with salt, pepper powder and a pinch of soda bai carb.
Heat a wok and take enough oil to deep fry.

Now put a fish into the hot oil and fry it. When the colour is changed, spread some beaten egg with your fingers or a spoon. As a result you will see that your cutlet will get a wrapper. Many bubbles will form due to egg. Flip off the cutlet with a spatula and spread some egg in same way on the other side. When this egg portion turns golden, remove from the oil and keep it on a paper napkin. Then serve it with some green salad and tomato ketch up or kasundi (a Bengali style mustard sauce).
It is always served hot.

Sometimes I have seen some recipe with rice flour instead of egg. But I have never tried it. This is the other way to make crispy kabiraji. But somehow I think that rice powder cannot give same crispiness like egg. And obviously this is my own opinion.


Saturday, 17 January 2015

Grilled fish recipe|Grilled Bhetki Recipe|Tawa tossed vegetables

I love grill and not only me; my whole family loves grill.  The aromas of grilling chicken or fish attracts me so much that wherever and whenever I get the aroma, I start filling hungry. J

This grilled fish recipe is very easy and you can make it in a jiffy. Actually I love to cook those dishes which are very simple and easy; even a novice can prepare it. My second priority is time. I like recipes which can be prepared in a jiffy as nowadays no one has enough time to go for a lengthy procedure.

And for this recipe if you think you a grill pan is must to get the nice dark stripes of grill, you can very well use grill pans available in the market. But you do not have a grill pan, not an issue. I have a trick to get grill mark without grill pan. Take a nonstick pan and place 2-3 wooden ice-cream sticks and place the fish pieces. When cooking is finished; you will get the same grill marks in your fish fillet.

Any good fish fillets can be grilled. Here I have used bhetki fillets as this is one of my favorites. Though salmon can be irresistible, it is not widely available in India. Sole fish is also very widely used in Indian restaurants. Pomfret/paplet is commonly used here for grilling whole fish. To view my pan fried tandoori pomfret recipe, click Pan fried tandoori pomfret.

Bhetki fish grilled in tawa and vegetables tossed in tawa
Grilled Fish With Tossed Vegetables

Grilled fish recipe:

What you need to make grilled fish:

Fish fillet (bhetki) – 4 pcs
Ginger-garlic paste - 1tsp
Chopped celery – 2 tbsp
Salt
Chilli flakes – 1 tsp
Honey – 1 tbsp
Lemon juice – 1tbsp
Broccoli
Red bell pepper
Yellow bell pepper
Baby corn
Lettuce
Olive oil – 3 tbsp

How to make grilled fish in tawa with tossed vegetables:

Ø  Take all vegetables and cut them into uneven shape.
Ø  Now take a mixing bowl and mix the oil, ginger-garlic paste, chopped celery, salt, chilli flakes, honey, and lemon juice. Marinate the fish in the mix for 15-20 minutes.
Ø  Now take a pan and place it over the gas and heat it. Then place the marinated fish fillets in the pan in high flame. After 2-3 minutes, carefully flip the fish using a spatula with thin edges.
Ø  Cook the other side for 2 minutes. Now shift the fish from the pan.
Ø  In the meantime, when the fish is in the pan, put the vegetables except lettuce into the same mixing bowl where you marinated the fish fillets. Now put the vegetables in the pan in high flame and toss it for 2-3 minutes.
Ø  Now take a serving plate and place the fishes. Place the vegetables and lettuce on the other side of the plate.
Ø  Your dish is now fully ready to serve.

NB: An important point to remember is that it takes very little time to grill fish. So keep checking the doneness. The fish should be properly cooked but not over cooked. If it is overcooked it will be tough and will break.

Tuesday, 30 December 2014

Easy pan fried tandoori pomfret recipe
Tandoori Pomfret

Ingredients:

Pomfret – 2 pcs
Tandoori masala – 1 tbsp
Lemon juice – few drops
Salt
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Hung curd – 1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
White oil

Method:


Marinate pomfrets with a few drops of lemon juice and salt and keep aside for 10 minutes. Then add all ingredients except oil in the marinated fish and again marinate it for 2 hrs. 

Now grease a flat pan and put the marinated fish. Keep it for 5 minutes. When one side is done, turn over the fish and cook for another 2-3 minutes. 

Your pan fried tandoori pomfret is now ready. Serve hot with salad. 

Thursday, 30 January 2014


Fish batter fry is a mouthwatering starter and is very popular in Bengal. Bengali occasions are incomplete without any form of fish fry. It can be batter fish fry, fish kabiraji, topse fry or fish cutlet. This Bengali style batter fish fry is also called “fish butter fry” for its softness. It is specially made by fillets Bhetki fish or any boneless fish. But Bhetki obviously enhances the taste. Even if you are a calorie conscious person, you will forget about calories once you taste this fish fry.

Bengali Fish Fry in batter
Fish Batter Fry














Fish batter fry - ingredients:

Fish fillet
Regular flour
Cornflour
Baking powder
Soda bi curb
Ginger paste
Garlic paste
Salt
Black pepper powder
Lemon juice
White oil

Fish batter fry - recipe:

Marinate fish with lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, salt, black pepper powder and keep aside for sometimes.
Take a bowl and make a smooth batter with regular flour, cornflour (4:1), a pinch of baking powder and a pinch of soda bi curb, salt, black pepper powder and water and keep aside for 10 minutes with cover.
Now heat oil in a deep pan. Coat the fish fillets with batter and deep fry till golden.
Fish batter fry is now ready. Serve hot with salad and ketchup.

Saturday, 2 November 2013



Prawn fry with potato and bread crumbs coating
Prawn Fry


Ingredients:

Small size prawn - 16 pieces
Medium size boiled potato - 2
Chopped tomato – 1
Chopped parsley
Chopped green chilli
Black peer powder
Salt
Sugar
Bread crumbs
Regular flour
Corn flour
Bread
Lemon juice
White oil
Tooth pick

Preparation:

Remove shell and head of the prawns. Keep the tail. Devain it and wash thoroughly.
Insert s tooth pick from the tail towards the head so that the prawn stays straight even after frying.
Marinate the prawn for 10-15 minutes with lemon juice, salt and pepper powder.
Smash boiled potato and mix with chopped tomato, parsley, green chilli, salt, black pepper powder. Also mix bread after cutting the borders for binding.
Now take a cellophane paper, put the mixture on it and cover it with another cellophane paper. Now roll it with a roller softly to make it flat. Remove the paper from top and cut the rolled potato mix into the number of prawns.
Now cover the prawns with the mixture but keep the tail out of this. If it feels very sticky, then wet your hand with water.
Now take flour in a plate and coat the prawns lightly.
In a bowl mix little bit of corn flour with water to make a thin batter. Dip the prawns in the batter and immediately put it on bread crumbs to coat it properly.
Now dip fry the prawns till golden.

Prawn fry is now ready, serve hot with ketchup.


Wednesday, 4 September 2013

Hilsa fish cooked with butter egg plant and mustard
Butter Hilsa

Ingredients:
Hilsa 2 round pieces
Brinjal long 4 pieces
2 tbsp curd
2 tsp mustard paste
Salt
Butter
Half sliced green chilli
Recipe:
Marinate the fish with salt. Heat butter in a pan and put the hilsa pieces and sauté it. Then take the fish out from the heat. Now, add brinjal pieces in butter and fry it in low flame till golden brown. Then add the fried fish pieces and little bit of water. Take a small bowl and mix mustard paste, curd, salt and add with the fish. Add sliced green chilli and cover it for 2-3 minutes. When the fish and the brinjal becomes tender, take out from heat. Serve hot with plain rice.

Saturday, 31 August 2013

Bengali fish hilsa cooked in mustard oil and curd
Hilsa in curd gravy

Hilsa or Ilish is the most popular fish for Bengalis. This is the national fish of Bangladesh. Bengalis wait throughout the year and look forward to the rainy season for Ilish. I think Hilsa is most popular for its aroma and taste and also very easy to cook. Nowadays Hilsa is not so pocket friendly but the positive thing is that this fish is very light weight. Learn how to cook Hilsa in curd gravy at home.

Ingredients:

Hilsa round pieces
Curd 100 gm
Sugar
Salt
Mustard oil
Green chilli
Red chilli powder (optional)

Recipe:

Marinade the fish with salt and keep aside for 5 minutes. Now heat oil in a pan and put the fishes for frying. Don’t fry it too much, just sauté it. Now take the fish out from heat. Add a little bit of water in the same oil, add sugar and salt. Mix well. If you want you can add a pinch of red chilli powder. Now put the fish in the gravy and add bitten curd with it in low flame. Cook for 2-3 minutes and when the gravy becomes thick take it from the heat. Garnish with green chilli.

Sunday, 18 August 2013

Hilsa cooked in mustard gravy, shorshe ilish, fish curry, ilish macher jhal
Hilsa in mustard gravy

Hilsa or Ilish is the most popular fish for Bengalis. This is the national fish of Bangladesh. Bengalis wait throughout the year and look forward to the rainy season for Ilish. I think Hilsa is most popular for its aroma and taste and also very easy to cook. Nowadays Hilsa is not so pocket friendly but the positive thing is that this fish is very light weight. Hilsa with mustard gravy (sorshe ilish) is an authentic Bengali dish and is very easy to cook.

Cooking time: 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
Hilsa: 2 round shaped pieces
4 tbsp Mustard oil
Salt
Kalinji seeds (onion seeds) - 1 pinch
Mustard paste - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Green chilli


Recipe:
Marinate the fish with salt and turmeric powder and keep aside for 5 minutes. Now heat oil in a pan and put the fishes. Don’t fry it too much, just sauté it. Now remove the fishes from fire and add a pinch of onion seeds in the same oil. When you start getting a nice aroma, add a cup of water, turmeric powder and salt and stir well. Now add thick mustered paste and put the fried fishes. Cover it with a lid for 2-3 minutes. When the gravy becomes thick take it out from the heat. If you wish you can spread a little bit of raw mustard oil as it enhances the taste and garnish with green chilli.
Serve with plain rice.
If you wish u can skip the frying process and use raw hilsa for mustard gravy.  Many people likes shorshe ilish in this process.