Ajwaini Amritsari Fish Pakora

 

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• It’s Saturday night... time to spend some quality time with family... at the dinner table. Adda (formal or informal conversation) and food with some mocktails and cocktails to go with the flow.. very much required to bond with the family... 
• This is a popular punjabi starter.... best is ravas or telapia or basa... or any boneless fish can be used. Fish is marinated and kept for at least an hour. It’s then deep fried and sprinkled with chaat masala and served hot with onion, lime and chutney. 
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• Ingredients 

500 grams Telapia or any boneless fish pieces  

1 tsp Garlic paste 

1/2 tsp Ginger paste

1 tbsp Lime juice 

1 tsp Carom seeds / Ajwain 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Soda bicarbonate or eno for crispiness  - optional 

1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder

1/2 cup Hung Curd

3 to 4 tbsp Chickpea flour / Besan 

Oil to deep fry

For garnishing - sliced onion, lime pieces and chutney

Method 

Take a mixing bowl, add in the curd, ginger - garlic paste, lime juice, carom seeds, salt, Kashmiri chilli powder and besan. Whisk all the ingredients into a smooth batter. Add the fish pieces, mix well and keep it aside for at least an hour. Add the soda bicarbonate, mix the ingredients together. Heat oil to fry, once the oil is hot, add the fish pieces into the hot oil and on a medium flame until golden brown in colour. Remove the fish from the oil and keep it on a paper towel. Sprinkle some chaat masala. Serve the fried fish with sliced  onion, lime and chutney .

Pomfret Tikka Masala Fry....

This dish can be eaten as starter or side dish. I have made this dish with my easy peasy homemade tikka masala powder. It is spicy and mouthwatering. Sprinkle with chat masala. Serve it hot with salad and lime.

Marinate the Fish - Stage 1

Ingredients

2 Big or Medium Size whole Pomfrets clean and slited sideways.

1 Lime

Salt to taste

Method

Marinate the fish with lime juice and salt for an hour.

Marinate the Fish  - Stage 2

Ingredients

Pomfrets

3 tbsp  Tikki Masala powder

Method

Apply the masala powder on the fish properly and let it marinate for 4 hours or more. 

For Frying the Fish

Ingredients

Marinated Fish

1/4 cup Rice Flour

Oil to deep fry the fish

Salad and lime to garnish...

Sprinkle of Chat masala

Method

Coat the fish lightly in rice flour and deep fry it in hot oil till cooked and crispy. Sprinkle with chat masala. Serve it hot with salad and lime.

Quick Homemade Tikka Masala Powder 

Ingredients 

1/4 tsp Coriander powder 

1/4 tsp Cumin powder 

1/2 tsp Garlic powder 

1/4 tsp Ginger powder 

1/2 tsp Onion powder 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder 

1/4 tsp White Pepper powder 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1/4 tsp Salt 

1 tsp Corn flour 

Method 

Add all the above ingredients in a grinder and grind it together, so that all the above ingredients blend well together. 

Chicken Bharata...

Chicken Bharata

This is a Punjabi dish. This recipe is prepared in Kolkatta Punjabi dhaba style. It is served with Roti or Naan or Paratha. This recipe is from Honey da Dhaba. 
I almost followed the same process, except I did not add Kasuri methi and add cream for garnishing too. It almost tasted like Butter Chicken... 

Ingredients

250 grams boneless Chicken breast piece cut into thin strips.

1 Onion chopped 

1 Tomato chopped 

1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala powder 

Whole Garam Masala crushed ( 2 Cloves, 2 Cardomom, 1 stick Cinnamon, 4 to 6 Pepper Corn) 

1/4 cup Curd beaten 

1/4 cup Amul Cream 

2 tbsp Cashew nut paste 

2 tbsp Oil

1/2 tbsp Butter 

Few Coriander leaves chopped 

Method 

Take a wok, add oil. Let it heat. Add the whole garam masala and onions. Stir fry it till light brown in colour. Add ginger garlic paste. Stir and sauté it for a minute. Add the tomato, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and salt. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and stir, cover the wok and cook it for 5 minutes on low flame. Add cashew paste and curd. Stir it. Add 1/4 cup water, cover the wok and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add the garam masala powder, cream and butter. Stir it for a minute. Garnish it with coriander leaves and cream.

Dimer Tadka / Anda Tadka / Egg Tadka .......

Dimer Tadka / Anda Tadka / Egg Tadka .......

In and around Kolkatta there are many Punjabi roadside dhabas. Tadka dal is one of the very famous dish found in those dhabas. As a child every time, I visited Kolkatta, I would make it a point to eat this dal made by my Masi ( Aunty ) at her house.  Dal Tadka made with yellow lentils is otherwise available everywhere in India, but Tadka dal made with whole green gram / moong dal and the way it is prepared is only available in Kolkatta and it's surroundings. Egg or Chicken or Mutton is added to it. It can be vegetarian too. It is eaten with hot phulkas / Roti. There are many ways of making it. The eggs can be scrambled and added later or the egg can be dropped on the tadka at the end and simmered till the eggs are cooked. 

This is one of the way of making it. 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup Moong Dal washed soaked and boiled 

2 Eggs 

1 medium Onion chopped 

1 medium Tomato chopped 

6 Garlic cloves minced 

1 small piece Ginger minced 

3 Green Chilli minced 

1/2 tsp Turmeric 

1/2 tsp Coriander 

1/2 tsp Cumin 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Kasuri Methi 

1/2 tbsp Butter 

2 tbsp Oil 

For Garnishing 

Few Ginger juliennes 

1 Green Chilli slit 

Few Coriander leaves

 Method 

Take a deep bottom pot or lagan. Add oil and heat it. Add the garlic minced, sauté it for a minute. Add ginger minced and  chopped onion. Fry it till light golden brown in colour. Add the green chilli minced, stir it. Add the tomato, turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add salt and 4 tbsp water, stir and cook till the tomatoes have become mushy. Now break the eggs into the pot and stir it for 2 minutes till the eggs have cooked. Add the boiled dal. Stir fry it well for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and stir it.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the garam masala powder, Kasuri methi and butter. Stir it. Garnish it with coriander leaves, ginger juliennes and green chilli. Serve it hot with hot rotis... 

P. S. You can have a dry version or add more water as per you requirement.

Palak Paneer Stuffed Paratha

Palak Paneer Stuffed Paratha...

This paratha is good for children who refuses to eat green leafy vegetables. This can be eaten with curd and pickles.
Ingredients
4 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
1 bowl Spinach Purée
1 tsp Ginger Chilli paste
1 tbsp Mint chopped
2 Green chillies chopped
1 bowl of grated Cottage cheese
1/2 cup Curd beaten
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1/2 tsp Curry powder
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1/4 tsp Cumin powder for stuffing
Salt to taste
Ghee to fry the Parathas

Method
Take a mixing bowl. Add the flour, spices, salt and oil. Mix it well. Add curd and spinach purée. Mix it, add water as required and start kneading into a dough. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, cover and keep it aside for 15 minutes. Take the grated cottage cheese, add salt, cumin powder, chopped chillies and mint leaves. Mix it. Divide the dough into lemon size balls. Take a ball. Flatten it. Fill a tbsp of the stuffing. Seal the dough from the edges. Coat the dough with dry flour. Roll it. Heat a skillet up. Place the rolled dough on the skillet. Cook the paratha on both the sides for 2 minutes until bubbles appear.  Apply ghee and fry the paratha... Serve it hot..