TANDOORI POMFRET - AVOCADO FRY- STRAWBERRIES WITH DULCE DE LECHE: DINNER EXTRAVAGANZA

The Blogathon is going strong. Thank you everyone for all the support. Its great to meet people at random social events and have them complimenting the posts. So today I decided to not write about 1 recipe, not 2 but 3 recipes in one post. Just my way of saying THANK YOU to all of you to keep me going.

I am a Tandoori Junkie. You give me a protein cooked in a Tandoor with the signature spice blend, and I shall never refuse it. So its no surprise that its one of the most repeated preparations at our place.Even the two year old loves her share of Tandoori Chicken. So when Deb picked up some great  POMFRET, we divided it into two batches.

We kept aside a batch to cook a Goan Fish Curry out of it and the other batch had to be doused in Tandoori spice blend. For the uninitiated Pomfret is a popular sea fish in India. Its a white fish and is quite firm. It comes  in a variety of sizes and there are quite a few varieties of it: Silver, Golden and Black. The local Asian markets have all these varieties. But if you're looking for the perfect bite of your Pomfret look no further than the Silver Pomfret. The Golden and Black ones lack big time in taste and are more rubbery as they are bigger. When you are buying Pomfret, ask your Fishmonger to keep it whole but clean out the guts for you.

As we knew we would be making Tandoori Fish with it, so I carefully made incisions on both sides of the fish. This helps in the marinade to sink in and flavor the fish pretty well. But be careful so that you don't damage the fish, in a bid to make incisions. If you marinate the fish for long, it will surely pack in a stronger flavor. So don't hurry with it.

Deb had been planning to make some AVOCADO FRY for some time. Avocado Fries are like clouds of goodness. You bite into them,and you immediately get transported into food heaven. They are so creamy and if you don't watch your portion, then they can fill you up real fast. Rather than using normal Italian breadcrumbs, we decided to go for Panko breadcrumbs,as they add in more texture and crunch to the fries. Seasoned with a handful of dried parsley. And it seemed to be a good compliment to the TANDOORI FISH. It was our guilty conscience asking us to include some greens in our plate, even if the greens were deep fried.

We decided to finish off the meal with a big bowl of our rendition of Strawberries and Cream. It was Berry season and we had enough of Chocolate covered Strawberries. DULCE DE LECHE STRAWBERRIES  is an easy to whip up dessert and is always so decadent. You can literally sit with a bowl in your couch and even get over a heartbreak. Rather than using normal heavy whipping cream and sugar, using Dulce de Lechhe with Heavy cream, makes it more caramelley and silky and adds different notes to compliment the tart berries. I am a big fan of Dulce de Leche no doubt. Have you checked out how I used Dulce de Leche as a replacement of Gur in my PATISHAPTA POST. 

TANDOORI POMFRET(FISH): 

Ingredients: 
Pomfret Fish: Whole fish is cleaned and gutted: 2
Onion-Ginger-Garlic paste: 5 to 6 tbsp
White Vinegar: 1 tbsp
Tandoori Spice Blend: 2 tbsp
Salt: To taste
Canola Oil or Non Stick Cooking Spray
Lemon Juice: 1 tbsp

Procedure: 
Make slanting incisions across the flesh of the fish on both sides. Be careful not to touch the bone as that would break the fish.

Mix the ingredients, except the lemon juice, together and rub it on the fish. Make sure you try and stuff the marinade in the incisions you made. Put in a air tight container and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight or at least for a couple of hours.

You could cook it two ways. You could grill it. Or you could bake it in the oven. If you are grilling it, make sure you spray the fish with non stick cooking spray liberally on both sides. Grill it for around 4 to 5 minutes on both sides. Be careful when you are turning the fish so that you don't break it.

If you plan to bake it, then pre-heat the oven to 350F. Bake for around 10 minutes on each side. Make sure you have sprayed your fish with oil before you put in the oven. Use a non stick baking tray.

Drizzle lemon juice on the hot fish before you serve.

AVOCADO FRY: 
Ingredients: 
Avocado: 1
Panko Bread crumbs: 1/2 cup
Canola Oil: for frying
Dried Parsley: 1 tsp
Salt and pepper: to taste
Egg: 1


Procedure: 

Cut long wedges of the avocado. Remove and discard the stone and the skin.

Make a dry wedge of the breadcrumbs, parsley, salt and pepper.

Crack the egg in a separate bowl and use a fork to whisk it.

Dunk the avocado wedges first in egg and then in the dry wedge.

Deep Fry the avocado wedges.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

STRAWBERRIES IN DULCE DE LECHE: 
(Strawberries in Cream)

Ingredients: 
Strawberries
Dulce de Leche: 1/2 can
Heavy Cream: 8 oz

Procedure: 
Slice the strawberries in to thick wedges after washing them well.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dulce de leche and the heavy cream.

Check for sweetness and add in the strawberries.

Let it chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before you serve it.


Go ahead and make your versions of three of my favorites.

Bon Appetit !!!



LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS POST: 

POMFRET FISH: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomfret

PATISHAPTA WITH DULCE DE LECHE: http://journotalk.blogspot.com/2015/01/patishapta-in-jiffy-crepes-filled-with.html

2

MURI GHONTO: Fish head cooked with spicy rice

"Muri Ghonto," screams weekend decadence. Which Bong, worth her/his salt, would not love to dig into Muri Ghonto on a Saturday afternoon, with some gorom bhaat. It becomes the first course, the second course, or even the third course, for those of us who swear by this heady fish dish. I love love love Muri Ghonto, especially from Momma's kitchen. I must add that no one, literally no one makes Muri Ghonto like my Momma. Oh ! Calcutta and Bhojohori Manna can take a backseat please. I am so particular about her signature recipe, that even after all these years of cooking, I still refer to her original recipe, once, before I even start the prep work.Its like Bible.

Bongs love their quota of fish, and every bit of their fish. I might not be true blue Bong in terms of my knowledge of Rabnidra Sangeet or Bangla Sahitya(Bengali Literature), but I am a true blue bong, for my love of Fish. I am primarily a non veg eater, and Fish is surely my first love. I still remember how I made sure that a deep fried Machher Muro( Fish Head ) was a part of my Bridal Shower lunch, and that Mom had not missed it, amidst all the craziness going on at the last hour.So a dish made with spicy rice and a large fish head, has to be one of my all time favorites.

Well, yes, there are a few variations in which this quintessential Bong delicacy is whipped up, and I am sure every family swears by their concoction. My mom makes it with Gobindo Bhog Chaal (a fragrant short grained rice) . Varaitions include cooking with Chire(Poha/Flattened Rice) or even Moog Daal(Mung Beans). I have to resort to the Basmati Rice, as I do not have the luxury of getting a supply of Gobindo Bhog Rice. Muri refers to Muro or Fish Head. And Ghonto refers to a style of Bong cooking.  Usually the Head of a Rohu Fish( a biggish fresh water fish) is the ideal choice for the Muri Ghonto. Its often said that the larger the Rohu fish, the tastier the resulting dish is. Well, its definitely not a dish for the squeamish, as a love for the Fish head is a pre-condition. I have had Fish head dishes from quite a few Asian cuisines,and even an Italian soup, which had a serving of Fish Head, but nothing comes close to this spicy and heady Bong delicacy. So go ahead and cook up a storm this weekend !!

MURI GHONTO: 

Fish head cooked with spicy rice : 

Ingredients: 

Rohu Fish Head: 1: Cut into 4 pieces

Turmeric: 2 tsp

Red Chili Powder: 1 tsp

Salt: to taste

Mustard Oil: 4-5 tbsp

Cumin Powder: 1 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder: 1 tsp

Potato: 1 large: Cubed

Basmati Rice: 1/2 cup

Bay Leaves: 3

Cloves: 2

Cinnamon Stick: 1/2 inch

Green Cardamom: 4

Ginger-garlic-onion paste: 1 1/2 tbsp

Procedure: 

Coat the fish head with salt and turmeric. Heat oil in a non stick pan, and shallow fry the fish head. When the fish head is half fried, use the stirring spoon, and break the fish head into pieces. Fry using a splutter guard. Keep the fried fish head pieces aside. 

 In another non stick deep bottom pan, add mustard oil, and add the whole garam masala and the bay leaves. Once they get aromatic, add the onion-ginger-garlic paste and fry it around for a few minutes. Once the masala starts to change color, then add the dry spices and mix well, and fry for a minute or so. Make sure that the dry spices don't get burnt, add a few splashes of water if needed. 

 Add in the fried fish head pieces and the rice and mix everything well. Fry this mixture for around a couple of minutes, stirring frequently. 

 Add in the diced potatoes and enough hot water to dunk it all. Mix everything well. Add salt to taste. Cook covered, till the rice and potatoes have cooked and the water has been absorbed by the rice. Keep stirring frequently.

 Check for seasonings. Cook uncovered if you feel that there's too much moisture. 

Serve hot with steamed rice !! 

Bon Appetit !!! 

8

MUKHI KOCHU diye ILISH MAACHHer JHAAL :

I scream, You Scream, We all scream for ILISH !! Yes, our Bong genes, will make us shout all the more, all the loudest, whenever someone mentions ILISH . Come Monsoon, and Bong households will make sure, that they bring this fish home. Times have changed, but the Bong psyche has not chnaged at all, when it comes to their favorite fresh water fish. So the Bong, be it in Kolkata, in New Delhi, or in Kansas City, will shop for ILISH, come Monsoons. Even if the concerned Bong, is currently in a part of the world, where there is no Monsoon, yet he/she will drive the few extra miles, to the Indian/ Bangladeshi store, and be the first one, to pick up JORA ILISH(A pair of Hilsa). There is a certain pride, a certain amount of bragging rights, on how well, the quality of Ilish has been purchased, and how well it has been cooked. This is a conversation which is so familiar to all Bongs. The love for Ilish unites Bongs across the world.While some Bongs debate over, whether it is a Bangaal  (East Bengali ) favorite, and with Ghotis(West Bengalis) preferring Chingri Machh(Prawns.) But that debate never did hold enough water. I come from a BA-TI hosuehold(Bangaal Mom and Ghoti Dad), but I have seen both my parents love ILISH equally crazily. So its obvious that Moi and Bhai(younger brother) grew up developing a keen taste for this delicacy.

It was yet another year, when I was away from Bhai on Raksha Bnadhan. At least during my Delhi stint, I could make sure, that I was around him on this special day. So this year, a day before Raksha Bandhan, I decided to make some Ilish Machher Jhaal , and dedicate it to my brother, virtually. When we were kids, Bhai had a special nickname for Ilish Machh. Well, if I did spill the nickname here, then he would be furious, so let that be a secret. Needless to say, it was his favorite, and continues to be so. So it seemed apt, that at least, I make Ilish Machh and share the pictures with him. That was my plan. And I stuck to it.

The beauty of cooking Ilish Machh is that, one does not experiment, a lot with the recipe. One does not cook Ilish Machh ever with Onions or Garlic or Ginger. That would be sacrilege. Ilish should be cooked in such a way, so that the natural flavour or aroma of the fish, is not altered by any of the ingredients, with which it is cooked. Hence everyone sticks to a few time-tested recipes, and it always works wonders for every Bong. Hubby however had some different ideas.He had been telling me stories of how his mother used to cook Ilish Machher Jhaal with MUKHI KOCHU. I had been refusing to do that for that last few years, So this Ilish Season, he decided to pick up JORA ILISH and Mukhi Kochu. He added that its a Bangaal recipe, and that it would taste awesome. So when I asked him for this said recipe, he smiled and added, that he had only eaten it, and does not know it himself. Well, I was not smiling for sure, as I had already, diced the Mukhi Kochu by then. So I stuck to my Ilish Machher Jhaal er recipe, and replaced the Aloo(Potato) in it, with Mukhi Kochu.I was after all dedicating the food to my brother, hence I did not want any variations to the taste, Bhai loved. Well, the results were quite lip smacking.

MUKHI KOCHU diye ILISH MAACHer JHAAL : 

Ingredients: 
Ilish Maachh: 4 pieces
Mukhi Kochu: 2: peeled and cubed.
Green Chilies: 4-5, slit longitudinally(according to heat preferences)
Turmeric: 1-2 tsp
Red Chili Powder: 1 tsp
Salt
Sugar: 1/4 tsp
Kalo Jeere/Kalonji/Nigella Seeds: 1/2 tsp
Mustard oil: 6-7 tbsp

Procedure: 
Clean the fish well, and remove all the scales. Wash it well, under running water, and then pat it dry with a paper towel. Coat the fish pieces with turmeric and some salt. Keep aside.

Heat mustard oil in a non stick pan. Don't substitute mustard oil, with any other oil, as it lends to the signature taste. So when you buy Ilish Maachh, ensure you also have Mustard Oil with you, on stock. Once the oil has just about started to smoke, carefully place the fishes in the pan, and shallow fry them, on moderately high heat. Ilish Machh tends to splutter, so keep a splutter guard handy. Turn the fishes after about frying them for 3 minutes per side, so that they are evenly fried on both sides.

 Remove the fishes from the oil, and add in the diced Mukhi Kochu. Fry them lightly and then keep aside.

In the same oil, add in Kalo jeere and the slit green chilies. Let them splutter.

Meanwhile, make a paste of red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, sugar and around half a cup of water, in a bowl. Once you get the aroma of green chilies, from the oil, add this spice mixture. Mix well. Add in the fried Kochu, and cover and cook at about medium heat, till the Kochu is almost cooked.

Add in the fried Ilish Maach carefully in the gravy, and cook uncovered till the Kochu is totally cooked, and the fish has soaked up the gravy well. Reduce the gravy, so that it not too watery, but not too thick.

Check for seasonings ! Remove from Fire !!

Serve hot with some steamed Basmati Rice  !!!

Bon appetit !!! 

2

BATA MAACHHer JHAAL:

When in doubt, cook fish ! On days when I get super confused about dinner ideas, I reach out for a packet of fish from the freezer.No, I am not talking of the rainbow trouts, the salmons or the groupers, but the Desi(Indian) varieties. I had been taking the easier route for the last few days, and so today, I thought, why not, cook up some Fishy Goodness.This time around, I had boycotted the bigger fishes, and loaded up on my supply of chhoto maachh per se. So Ilish(Hilsa), Rui-Katla(Rohu) and Boyal took a backseat while the shopping bags were filled with Pabda, Parshe, Tengra and not to forget, Bata. Chhoto Maachher Jhaal has a different appeal to the tastebuds. To think there was a time, when I used to not like the idea, of picking out the fish, from the bones, during my childhood days. And as I grew up, my love story, with chhoto maachh just got stronger. When I first moved to Delhi, my mom was shocked that I was cooking chhoto maachh for my super lazy room mate and myself. Every second week or so, during my weekly offs,I made it a point to visit the fish market at the Bong locality, Chittaranjan Park.I remember, when my parents were visiting me once, they were amazed to see the stock of fish in the freezer. Mom's query was, "When did I learn to buy Fish?" Well, when you lust for something, then survival tactics teach you how to get it. So which fish monger in C. R Park, specialised in which type of fishes, was totally up my alley, by then.

While my mom usually makes Bata Maachher Jhaal with onions and tomatoes, I decided to skip that, and opt for a spicy Shorshe Bata Jhaal(mustard paste).Well, Bata Maachh is not one of hubby's super favorite fishes, but Shorshe Bata diye Maachher Jhaal floors the man every time. So decided to do a li'l bit of healthy cheating in this regard.The tomato -onion gravy can wait for the Tengra, whose turn is next on this week's menu.Hopefully the man, won't mind it much.The best part of the deal, was that the fish was already prepped. Usually the problem with the smaller variety of desi fishes is that, one has to thaw them, and then clean them up thoroughly. From the guts to the dorsal and pelvic fins, everything needs to be prepped well. Or else, we would land up with bitter fishes at the table, if the guts are not cleared.Often its the prep work, which deters me, but today was, I guess, my day. I just had to grind a fresh batch of shorshe bata(mustard paste), and roll on. Speaking of shorshe bata,I often hear from many friends and readers, that their mustard paste turns out bitter. Well, my two cents to this issue, has not failed me in the last few years. I soak black mustard seeds in some luke warm water for a few hours. Then along with the water, I add a few green chillies and a pinch of salt to the mustard seeds and wet grind it, in the blender. I usually make a slightly larger batch of shorshe bata, as it can be frozen in the freezer, in an airtight container for almost a month.Its the green chilies and the pinch of salt which prevent it from getting bitter. Moreover I make sure that I do not over grind it. While grinding it, I keep checking the texture of the paste intermittently. The point at which I cannot feel the coarseness of the husks, I stop right there. As often if mustard is over ground, it also tends to get bitter. Since I am not too much of a fan of using mustard powder for Bong gravies, I try and stick to this routine.

BATA MAACHer JHAAL: 

Ingredients: 
Bata Maachh: 6-8 prepped and cleaned.
Mustard Paste: 2 tbsp
Potato: 2 large, cut into longish pieces
Nigella Seeds/Kalo Jeere/Kalonji: A pinch
Green Chili: 6-8 (Adjust according to heat preferences)
Mustard Oil: 5-6 tbsp
Red Chili Powder: 1 tsp
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Salt: To taste
Turmeric Powder: 2 tsp

Procedure:  
Pat dry the fish with some paper towels to remove moisture and marinate them in some turmeric powder and salt. Keep aside.

Heat mustard oil in a non stick frying pan. Add the fishes one by one to the oil, just before it starts to smoke. If the oil is not sufficiently hot, then the skin of the fish will peel off. Be careful while doing this, as fishes tend to spurt oil. Don't crowd the pan, and fry then fishes in two batches if necessary. Fry on High, for around 2-3 minutes per side. As we use frozen fishes here, I tend to fry them a bit longer. If you are using fresh fish, then do not fry them for long. Remove the fried fishes from oil and keep aside.

Reduce the temperature of the oil, and add the longish cut potatoes. Fry on medium heat for around 3 minutes or so, till the potatoes start to caramelise around the edges. Remove from oil and keep aside.

Meanwhile make a mixture of mustard paste, red chili powder, turmeric, salt and sugar with a cup of hot water. 

Temper the oil( in which you fried the fishes and potatoes) with a pinch of nigella seeds and a few longitudinally slit green chilies.

As the nigella

Well, I had added a bit too much water, while making the mix, so had to reduce it for a few extra minutes.

 The gravy is on the drier side, and should be thick in consistency. Do a quick taste test. Garnish with a few more green chilies, cut longitudinally.

I am gonna serve it some steamed Basmati rice and some Mushur Daal.

Bon Appetit !

4