Coastal Style Fish Biryani

If ever there was a dish that unites and divides us Indians it is the Biryani. Rarely in the history of mankind has dish, not native to the land, come in a made a place for itself in the heart of its people. We all know that biryani came to India courtesy the Mughals. Today, centuries after Mughals have long gone, the Biryani still continues to rules our hearts and palletes. I have often wondered what is so unique about this combination of rice and meat. The answer is simple. Across the length and breadth of this country, the biryani has integrated with the local flavours and suited tastes. You will not find a similar biryani anywhere in the country. So, while on one hand you have the gentler, more of  meat, oil based ones in the north, Lucknow to be precise where it is known as the “Pakki (fully cooked) Biryani”.  The cooking process here involves cooking the marinated meat and rice separately and then layering it together and cooking it on dum (steam). You then have the larger than life, biryani from Hyderabad where you would come across the “Kachchi (raw) Biryani”. Here, the rice (which is cooked al-dente) and meat are layered together and then given a dum. Move eastwards, towards Kolkatta and you will find the Kolkatta styled biryani, easy on the spice, generous helping of potatoes and with a lower proportion of meat.  Here, the biryani will be more often than not be accompanied by the chap or rezaala. In, Mumbai, on the west coast you have the spicier variety with varying degrees of meat and rice to suit the Mumbai taste.

The true test of a biryani is how the rice is cooked. It is essential to keep a hawk eye on the rice while it is being cooked. The usual method is to cook it till it is about three-fourths done and done while it cooks on dum, you have each grain proudly standing out, vying for attention and wanting to tell you a story. The meat is usually marinated in curds before cooking. This forms the perfect bite when you take in a morsel of rice, covered in the masala and then melt in the mouth meat. Truly, this is a moment  that needs to be savoured.

Usually, when there is talk of a biryani, the combination is usually that of rice and meat. You would not associate something as delicate as fish with such an elaborate method of cooking. While I was discussing with a friend the other day the concept of a fish biryani, he joked that fish biryani would probably have been invented in a coastal area like Kerala or Goa. I so wanted to add Mangalore to the list, for obvious reasons you see. Some research and bit of experimentation, I finally cracked the code to a fish biryani; what I also managed to do was integrate into it some coastal flavors. Usually, curd is used to marinate the meat and as a base for the gravy. I substituted  the curds with another coastal staple, coconut milk. The end result was a creamy and sturdier gravy. The coconut milk also helped balance the spice giving it a nice even taste. Another change I made was not marinating but gently frying the fish. That helps to give the fish a slightly firmer texture that helped when cooking the fish in the gravy.

In all earnest, which ever biryani works for you, the best thing to do is go through the entire process of cooking the biryani, whilst doing so savour the aroma and once done, dig in and enjoy a meal fit for royalty.

Coastal Styled Fish Biryani

Ingredients

For the rice

• 2 cups long grained rice
• 1 Star Anise
• 1 Inch cinnamon stick
• 3-4 green cardamom
• 3-cloves
• 3-4 pepper corns
• 1 black cardamon
• salt to taste
• A pinch of orange food colouring mixed with 20 ml water or milk.

For the Biryani Masala

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 large tomato, finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped (Increase the quantity if you want it spicier) 
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste 
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• 2 tablespoons Biryani Masala Powder (I used Everest Biryani Masala) 
• 1 tablespoon tumeric powder (haldi) 
• 1 tablespoon garam masala powder 
• 1 large tablespoon cumin seeds
• 200 ml thick coconut milk
• 1 large bunch of corriander leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 Bundle of Mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• Oil for frying
• Salt to taste

Grind to a paste

• 1 cup coriander leaves
• 1 bunch mint leaves
• 10  cloves garlic
• 2 green chillies (adjust to taste)
• 3-4 pepper corns
• 1 teaspoon coriander leaves 

For frying the fish:

• 5 pieces of any firm fleshed fish (I used kingfish)
• plain red chilli powder to taste 
• turmeric powder 
• salt
• Oil for frying

For the Garnishing

• 2 large onions, sliced finely
• 10-15 cashews, slivered
• 5-10 almonds, slivered
• 10 -12 raisins
• Ghee/ Oil to fry
• Few Mint leaves
• 1 lime, quartered
• Salt

Procedure:

To prepare the fish:

• Wash the fish and pat it dry.
• Add the lime juice, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder to the fish and rub well. Keep aside for an hour or so.
• Now, heat oil in a pan and fry the marinated fish for about 3 minutes a side. You don't need to entirely cook the dish at this stage.
• Once done, remove and drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.

To prepare the rice:

• Heat 4 cups of water in a large vessel and bring to a boil. Tie the whole masala in a small muslin cloth and drop in the boiling water.
• Soak the rice in water for about 15 minutes. Then wash under running water till the water runs clear.
• Add the rice to the boiling water and cook for sometime till you see fluffy grains of rice. Don't stir the rice at this time since you may end up breaking the grains. Add salt and cook till the rice is cooked al dente (75% done)
• Drain the rice using a colander and make sure the rice is completely devoid of any moisture. Leave it open in a dry place and do not cover the rice
• Take about a handful of rice in a seperate vessel. To this, add the water in which we had mixed the food colouring and mix well so that the rice absorbs the colour entirely

To prepare the garnishing:

• Heat oil in sufficiently large frying pan on medium heat.
• Add the sliced onions and give it a mix so that the oil covers the onions well. Add the salt.
• Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes till the onions turn reddish brown in colour.
• Take out from the heat and cover and drain on an absorbent paper.
• In the same pan, add the cashews, almonds and fry till they turn reddish brown. Once done, take out from heat and drain on an absorbent paper

To prepare the biryani masala: 

• In a large vessel, heat the oil and add the whole spices, curry leaves and allow them to splutter. 
• When the spices begin spluttering and releasing aroma, add the chopped onions and let them cook till they turn golden brown. Add the ginger, garlic pastes along with the chillies. At this point add half the onions that we had fried. We will retain the other half for garnishing.
• Once the onions are done, add the chopped tomato and cook till the tomatoes are mushy and limp.
• Add the green paste along with very little water. Saute this on a medium flame till the oil begins to leave the sides.
• Lower the heat and add the coconut milk and mix well. Once the mixture has integrated well add the spice powders. Mix well.
• Add the fish, and stir gently so that we don't break the fish fillets/ pieces.
• Once done, add the chopped corriander and mint leaves.

To assemble the biryani:

• Line a large vessel with ghee/ oil.
• Add the gravy mixture. Now add in one half of the onions we had fried earlier and some of the fried cashews, almonds and raisins.
• Layer the gravy mixture with the cooked rice. Sprinkle the surface with the rice that was mixed with food colouring.
• Finish the layering with the remaining fried onions and dried fruits.
• Cover the vessel with a lid that fits perfectly. Or you could cover with aluminium foil so that no steam escapes.
• Place the vessel on a tawa and cook for 30-40 minutes on a medium flame. Allow it to rest for about 10 minutes  after you've turned off the gas.
• Serve hot with raita.

Prawns in Butter Garlic Sauce

Nariman Point is a prime business area in Mumbai.  It houses some of India’s and the world’s premier business headquarters.  Apart from business, ‘Point’ as it is affectionately called by office goers and locals has something for everyone. The soothing sea breeze, sprawling corporate head offices that are nothing short of architectural marvels, imposing 20^th century buildings and bridges built by our colonial masters, and yes of course, an endless array of culinary options to satisfy every little taste bud on the tongue.

I too, had the opportunity of working at Nariman Point and today’s recipe is the outcome of one such culinary adventure. The place where I used to work was blessed with plenty of options for food right from fine dining restaurants to road side food stalls that served almost anything from Chinese to French or pasta. Though I used to carry my lunch from home (I still do), occasionally, I would skip carrying it allowing my mum some rest. A colleague, who was a foodie like me, mentioned of this recently opened restaurant that claimed to serve some of the best seafood in the area. Now, a new restaurant offering seafood meant it wasn’t long before we both decided to try it out. Of course, the menu had everything that the sea could offer and my colleague suggested we should try the “Butter Garlic Squid”. Being the conventional type (in my choice of food), I wasn’t too convinced that the dish would offer much; but my colleague almost pleaded me to try and try we did. I almost fell in love with the combination and together over the next couple of visits to the place we almost tried everything from squid, prawns, tofu, mushroom, and anything that the tag of ‘butter garlic’ attached to it. My personal favorite though, was the “Butter Garlic Prawns”.

My first attempt at making something with butter garlic sauce was with shredded chicken and honestly, the result was nothing but a disaster. I decided to make the same with prawns. This dish is so simple and uses ingredients that we almost tend to neglect in day to day cooking butter and garlic. Paulo Coelho was spot on when he wrote in the Alchemist: ‘The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.’ I had run a poll on my facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TummyTales) and no wonder then the dish was the winner by a long way. The rich butter sauce cooked to perfection with the garlic that covers the succulent prawns along with the complementing tastes of Italian herbs and the chilly flakes providing adequate support; and finally, the lemon juice provide the final swoosh just as you finish.

Go ahead and try it to experience gastronomic nirvana.

Prawns in Butter Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

• 250 grams medium sized prawns
• 2 large pods of garlic roughly chopped
• 80 grams butter (preferably unsalted)
• 1 small teaspoon olive oil
• 1  table spoon dried Italian herbs (I used thyme, basil, rosemary and oregano)
• 1 table spoon red chilly flakes (or 1 green chilly finely chopped)
• Juice of ½ a medium sized lime
• ½ table spoon crushed pepper
• Salt to taste (please be careful if your using salted butter)

Procedure:

• In a non-stick pan, add the olive oil and the butter and let them heat. Once the butter has melted add in some of the garlic and let it cook till the garlic turns reddish brown in colour. Take it out and keep it aside.
• Now, add in the rest of the garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.
• Once the garlic has cooked, add in the prawns and stir till the prawns change colour. Add in the salt and let it cook stirring continuously.
• Next add in the herbs and red chilly flakes, and the garlic that we had browned earlier allowing the flavors to seep into the prawns.
• Add the crushed black pepper and the lime juice giving it one last stir.
• Serve hot.

Fish Cutlets!

For working professionals like me, a weekend comes as a gift from heaven.  More than just a break from the routine of work it gives you time to spend with family, friends and more importantly the ‘me time’ we all need. It is important to cut away from the clutter and introspect at times; this gives us a good perspective on things we that we tend to miss in the humdrum of daily life.  For me, the weekend is a time when I complete pending chores and yes of course, research new recipes and blog. 

While contemplating this week’s recipe, I noticed that the blog missed an entrée or accompaniment recipe; losing no time I decided to make good the deficit by posting one of my favorite recipes “Fish Cutlets”. I loved cutlets even as a kid, my mum would make the mixture and fry it as a quick meal for me (since I was an ever hungry kid and would keep pestering mum for something to eat almost every half an hour). I am yet to come across someone who doesn’t like cutlets.  Although cutlets are usually made from minced meat, fish ranks higher on my preference scale due to its nutritional value. These cutlets are made within no time and can up the glamour quotient of even a simple meal. The test of a cutlet is its texture, dark and crisp on the outside and succulent on the inside. These turned out just the way I wanted them to, the crisp exterior that leads to moist fish meat that is seasoned with hot chillies and when you thought it was over, the tang of the lemon. Perfect bliss!!! Fish and potatoes make up a combination that is almost a meal in itself.

My suggestion, make extra mixture; your family would sure demand them time and again. Mine did!!! 

Fish Cutlets

(Yields about 12-15 medium sized cutlets)

Ingredients:-

• 500 grams boneless fish
• 2 medium sized potatoes
• 1 small onions (finely minced)
• 8-10 garlic pods (finely minced)
• 1 inch piece ginger (finely minced)
• 2 green chillies (finely minced)
• 2 egg whites – beaten well
• Bread Crumbs or semolina – for coating the cutlets
• 1 tablespoon Red chilly powder
• 1 tablespoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• Coriander- finely chopped
• Oil for frying
• 1 large blob of butter
• Salt to your taste

Procedure:-

• Clean, wash the fish. Once this is done keep enough water in a deep vessel and boil the fish in it. Once this is done, de-bone the fish carefully; you wouldn’t want a bone in your cutlet right? Then, mince the fish evenly.
• In a bowl, add the minced fish, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin seed, coriander, salt and keep aside.
• Now, boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker. Once done, grate into the fish mixture and mix well.
• In a pan, add a teaspoon of oil and fry the onions, garlic, ginger and chillies till they are cooked well. The onions will loose colour and garlic will turn slightly brown.
• Add the onion mixture to the fish mixture and mix so that all the ingredients integrate well.
• Wet your palm, take some mixture and form a medium sized patty.
• Coat well with the beaten egg white and the bread crumbs and fry till golden brown. This should take about 3-4 minutes a side. Just before you turn the cutlet once, add in the blob of butter. Adding butter will make the crust crispy and give it nice glaze.
• Enjoy with any sauce or ketchup of your choice.