This has been our family’s favourite dish since childhood. My aunt taught this recipe and my mom improvised it according to our taste. The aroma of the coriander and cinnamon makes the whole house smell good and welcomes one to the meal.

Ingredients

 4 medium size Pomfrets (cleaned)

For masala:

12 Green chillies Indian/thai(we like it hot, reduce the chillies according to your taste)

1 bunch coriander leaves/cilantro

1-inch piece of cinnamon

4 cloves

1-inch piece ginger(chopped into 3-4 pieces)

4-6 garlic cloves (Indian garlic 6-8 cloves as they are smaller in size)

1 teaspoon of tamarind paste.

Other:

½ cup rice flour

3 teaspoons fine rava/cream of wheat (optioal)

salt to taste

¼ cup of oil for pan frying

lemon

Method

Grind all the ingredients into a thick paste (don’t make it watery or coarse)

Take a small knife and make a pocket inside the pomfret. This makes it easy for the fish to absorb all the flavors of the masala. Alternatively you can score the fish (make cuts on the side of the fish).

Apply salt to the pomfret first, including the inner pocket (about 1/2 a teaspoon for each). Marinate the fish with the masala paste for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Use a wide plate to put rice flour and rava. Mix it well. Roll each pomfret in the flour and keep aside.

Heat a non-stick pan on medium, add 2 teaspoons of oil, then pan fry each pomfret for about 5-7 minutes, flipping in between. Cover the pan when you are frying the fish. Add oil while flipping; it should look golden brown before plating. Squeeze lemon juice before serving. Enjoy it with Dal and Rice.

Note: 2 table spoons of grated coconut can be added to reduce the heat of the chillies while grinding the masala

© Vinaya Pai 2018