Achari Machli Bhappa...

This is a fish preparation, very easy to make, spicy and scrumptious. You can serve this dish as a starter or have it as a side dish with hot steaming rice. The fish is marinated in fresh homemade achari masala. We all have left over oil from the pickle, and we discard them, but I use it up in creating other dishes, so here I have used achari oil from the pickle which gives extra punch to the dish. 

Ingredients

1 medium size around 500 grams whole Fish - Indian Salmon / Rawas,  Barramundi / Bhetki or Snapper / Rani Machli

2 tbsp Garlic and Green Chilli paste (4 Garlic and 3 Green Chillies)

6 Garlic cloves crushed

Juice of 1 Lime

1 small Tomato for Garnishing

Few Coriander Leaves chopped

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Coriander seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1/2 tsp Carom seeds

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds

6 Red Chillies

1 1/2 tsp  Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Pickle Oil

 

Method

Clean the fish well, the fish has to remain in 1 piece. Give 3 slits on the fish. Keep the fish on a foil paper. Apply salt and 1tsp turmeric powder on the fish and keep it aside for 10 minutes. Meanwhile add mustard seeds, coriander seed, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, carom seeds, fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 4 red chillies into a grinder and grind the seeds into a powder. That makes our achari powder. In a small mixing bowl add the achari powder, lime juice, garlic - chilli paste and oil, mix it and let it stand for 5 minutes, apply the achari paste properly all over the fish, push the crushed garlic into the cuts of the fish and add 2 dry chillies. Cover the fish with the foil paper. Leave it to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour. Steam the fish in a preheated oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees celsius or you can steam it in a steamer till the fish is cooked. Garnish it with coriander leaves and tomato. Serve it hot.