Category: Fish

Posted on

SEYAL BREAD – A Sindhi Breakfast for Election Night Dinner

SEYAL BREAD – Bread in an onion and tomato gravy

Come election night, no matter who we voted for, we are all going to need some strong sustenance to get through it. The first dish that came to mind when I conjured something warm, spicy, sour and comforting was a childhood favorite, SEYAL DABROTI (bread). I promise this dish will satisfy your insides and help get through the long night.

I am part Sindhi and part South Indian so growing up our kitchens emanated heavenly smells from both parts of the country. SEYAL in the Sindhi language refers to the browned onion and tomato mix that forms the base for this almost chili consistency dish. As in most traditional dishes, every family has their version of it. It can be red in color from the browned onions or green when prepared in a coriander paste.

Over the years, this dish has evolved into a Red/Green combination. My family loves it as a Sunday Brunch and is definitely on our list of comfort foods. My feeling is this dish was invented out of a need to use bread that had gone hard. All of us hate to throw bread away when its a little stale and really cannot be used in a sandwich. The gravy or SEYAL that is the base for this dish is an extremely versatile one and you could pretty much add any type of bread or fish and it would blend beautifully.

I have used 2 day old baguette that had gone hard so I broke it up into rough pieces before adding it to the gravy. You could even use old Rotis or naans if you would rather avoid bread. And just an FYI, stale bread absorbs liquids better. Here I share with you my version of a Sindhi staple.

Ingredients

6-7 slices of stale bread (white or brown) or a 1/2 baguette cut into 1” cubes or Rotis shredded up.

3 tbsp oil

1 bay Leaf

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1tsp Red chili powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsps Coriander powder

14 oz can Crushed Tomatoes

Toppings

1/2 tsp Chaat Masala

Crushed potato chips or Sev ( Crunchy noodles made from chick pea flour)

Chopped cilantro

Salt as Needed

Green paste

1/4 cup Cilantro

1 Serrano pepper

1 clove garlic

3-4 Mint leaves

Blend all green paste ingredients and keep aside.

Heat oil in a sauté pan over a medium flame, add the bay leaf and the onions, cook till they turn a light brown. Now add the green paste and cook, stirring continuously till the oil starts leaving the sides. Add the turmeric, chili and coriander powders and sauté for another few minutes. Pour in the can of crushed tomatoes and add salt, 1 cup water and let it come to a boil.

Add the bread just before serving , mix well and cook for a few minutes.

Serve in individual soup plates and garnish with the Chaat masala, cilantro and the Sev.

I served it with beer but a hot cup of tea or a cocktail would go great too.

Like I said, use old rotis or naans instead of bread, if you wish.

Happy Cooking!

Posted on

Grilled Salmon on Sticky Rice Cakes

Hiya everybody, how’s it going? Pandemic fatigue set in yet? Personally, it is starting to get to me in ways I never thought it would. I do miss the lack of social interaction ( Trip to Trader Joe’s count?) but Cooking, which used to be the joy of my life (other than Le Famille), is seeming like a chore some days.

Remember in the initial days of the lockdown how we prepared these elaborate meals, each one being a masterpiece ? Well that is definitely not happening anymore. With the pounds creeping up unbeknownst, all that baking had to stop. All those heavy meals have to stop.

Our family has switched to simpler, a little healthier, but comfort foods in our home. The fatigue from the past few months and the weather getting a little cooler, warrant that. And what with the infection numbers creeping up again, need to make sure we are all in good health.

That being said, we are to be blessed with some really beautiful, sunny days this week so definitely plan on eating out on the deck. Here I share a recipe I recently tried that works well even if you plan to have some friends over for a socially distanced meal. It lends itself well to some pre-preparation and to individual plating, both needed in this new world of entertaining.

Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients

1 pound wild caught Salmon cut lengthwise into half

4 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar

3 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1 Teaspoon Fish Sauce

3 Tablespoons finely chopped scallions

1/2 Teaspoon ground pepper

3 Tablespoons Oil

Rice Cakes

2 cups Sushi Rice (about 12 cakes)

3 cups Water

1/2 cup Rice or Sushi Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Sugar

Oil as needed

Salt as needed (1 teaspoon)

Toppings

1 Avocado, sliced

2 Teaspoons Toasted White sesame seeds

1 Teaspoon Furikake Seasoning

1 /2 Teaspoon Togarashi Spice

Wash and pat the salmon dry. Marinate it in the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, scallions, and pepper and refrigerate for an hour.

For the rice cakes, wash the sushi rice in a colander, running it through cold water a couple times till the water runs clear. Combine it with 3 cups water, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and cook covered for 20 minutes. The rice should pretty much absorb all the moisture by then. Take off the heat. In a saucepan take the vinegar, salt and sugar and boil stirring all the time till the sugar dissolves. Add it to the rice and keep stirring till it is nicely mixed up with the rice. Don’t worry as the rice cools it will absorb all the vinegar mixture.

When the rice is cool enough to handle, but still hot, take medium sized handfuls and shape them into slider shaped cakes. Keep aside.

In a nonstick frying pan start with 2 tablespoon oil and when it’s nice and hot, fry the cakes in small batches, on a medium heat till they are a nice crispy brown on both sides. Remember the rice is already cooked so all it needs is the crisping. Drain on a paper towel and keep aside.

Heat your broiler to 450 degrees. Wipe the nonstick pan clean and add 2-3 tablespoons of oil and heat till it starts smoking. Using tongs, take the salmon out of the marinade and place in the hot oil. Sear on high heat, 2 minutes on each side. Take the pan off the heat and put it straight into the oven, under the broiler for 2 minutes. While it‘s in the broiler take the marinade and bring it to a boil, then keep aside. From the broiler it’s on to your cutting board and let rest for 5-6 minutes. Slice into 1/2 inch steaks at an angle and then plate.

Serving Suggestion

Start with the rice cakes, then the salmon, avocado next, now drizzle on some of the marinade, then sprinkle the sesame seeds, Furikake seasoning, and Togarashi spice and you have a gourmet Japanese meal.

Wine Suggestion

I served this with a crisp Pinot Noir. It is light enough to complement the salmon while not being too acidic as to clash with the vinegar component.

Grocery Shopping

The Rice or Sushi vinegar, Fish and Soy Sauce, Sushi Rice, Furikake seasoning, and Togarishi spices are all available in Asian Grocery stores and most Trader Joe’s carry them too.

HAPPY COOKING!

Posted on

GOAN FISH CURRY

1 pound whole fish cut up in 1/2 “ steaks (Catfish or Black Pomfret) or any fleshy fish.

Juice of one lemon

3 tablespoons oil

1 onion diced

1 14 oz can Coconut milk

10 Curry leaves *

Curry Leaves

Paste:

6-7 pieces Kokum( garcinia indica) (Substitute 1 tablespoon tamarind paste)**

4 Dry Red Chillies

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon whole black pepper

6 cloves garlic

1” piece ginger

salt as needed

Wash fish, pat dry and marinate in salt and lemon juice.

Soak the kokum in a little water and keep aside. If using **tamarind paste add it to a 1/2 cup water and keep aside.

Dry roast the cumin, coriander and pepper seeds along with the chillies on a low flame till you get a nice aroma. Blend them into a fine paste with the ginger , garlic and half of the soaked kokum or all the tamarind paste.

In a broad bottomed pan, take oil, add the onions and sauté on a medium flame till light brown. Add the blended paste and fry on a low flame till the oil leaves the sides of the pan. Now add the can of coconut milk, fish and the rest of the kokum along with its juice.

Cover and bring to a boil, add chopped coriander leaves and cook till fish is done.

Serve with white rice, riced cauliflower or crusty bread.

Wine Suggestions:

I paired it with Tire Bouchon, a French blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Any medium bodied wine like the South African Hermitage or a Malbec or even a crisp Pinot Grigio will work well.

*If you are not able to get your hands on curry leaves, substitute it with a mix of lime zest and basil leaves. You could also use bay leaves or basil instead.

**Kokum is hard to find other than in Indian grocery stores but tamarind paste mixed in a 1/4 of water keeps the flavor component in tact.

HAPPY COOKING!!

Posted on

Cauliflower crusted Whole Silver Pomfret Fish stuffed with a spicy peanut chutney.

For this recipe I am using Silver pomfret but it works well with Pampano and Butter fish, too. Both of these are delicate fish but with a subtle non-fishy flavor. Ask your fish monger to Scale the fish, cut off the head and clean it from inside after slitting it. These fish don’t lend well to filleting as the pieces get too thin. If you want to fry them just have the fish cleaned and cut up into 1/2” steaks. There are some bones so be careful when eating or feeding kids.

Recipe:

1 large Silver Pomfret, Butterfish or Pampano , cleaned and slit.

4 Large florets cauliflower riced or grated

3 tsp Almond flour

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp oil

Salt as needed

Chutney:

5 -6 Serrano peppers

1/2 cup peanuts (no skin)

Juice of 2 lemons

Salt as needed

Marinate fish in salt , lemon juice and turmeric. keep aside for 30 minutes.

In a pan take a 1 tbsp oil, add the chilies and sauté on a low flame till nicely seared on all sides. take out and let cool. In the same pan, take the peanuts and roast till light brown. After the chilies and peanuts have cooled put them in a food processor with lemon juice and salt And grind to a slightly rough and thick consistency.

Put the fish in a lined or nicely oiled baking pan, leaving all the juices from the marination behind. Stuff the inside with the chutney spreading it nicely inside the slit.

Mix together the oil, riced cauliflower and flour with some salt and pat on to the fish for the crust. Do it only on one side.

Bake for 35 minutes at 375. Take out , let cool and serve whole or sliced.

Serving Suggestion:

With Roti or naan.

On a salad as your protein.

Happy Cooking! And keep the comments coming.

Posted on

Fish and Foremost

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.  I would love to a go a step further and add ; Teach him how to cook it and the whole family eats well. This is an old Chinese proverb where men and women shared all kinds of household chores, so let us not get into the gender bias argument.  But seriously, so few people actually like fish that something needs to be done about it.  The kids, in particular, complain about the fishy smell and will not eat it unless its double dipped in flour and eggs and deep fried making the whole idea of eating the healthy option such a wasted exercise.  The Prodigal Kids (mine, for the uninitiated) love sushi, so go figure.

Fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which is essential for development of the brain and eyes. Research shows that making fish a part of your regular diet, has been helpful for patients with diabetes, asthama and also cognitive dysfunction . The caveat being to mostly eat  wild caught as opposed to farmed fish. Rainbow trout, squid, salmon, walleye are some tasty and easily available wild caught fish. But as in anything in life everything should be done in a balanced way rather than take one thing and run with it. I get catfish and black pampano sometimes because they both take to Indian spices really well.

I make it a couple different ways: baked or curry.  In India some of the best fish preparations come from the coastal areas, be it the Macher Jhol from the east, the Meen Kuzhambhu from the south or my personal favorite  the Malwani masala fish from the west coast that is spicy and flavorful but bakes well and the masala translates well to the curry form , too. You could definitely shallow fry it too. Today I share with you a recipe for the masala, which stores well in an air tight container and the dish itself.

Malwani masala

5 tsp coriander seeds

2 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

7-8 dried red chillies

1 small star anise

1 inch pc cinnamon

2 tsp black peppercorns

5 cloves

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp mace

2 tsp dry dessicated coconut (optional)

Dry roast all the ingredients on a low flame till light brown. Cool off and then grind, store well.

Baked fish

1 lb fish (  salmon, black pampano or trout) or any fish you prefer.

1 tsp garlic and jalapeno and  paste (5 garlic pods and 2 jalapenos)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp tamarind paste (bottled works well)

2 tsp malwani masala

2 tbsp oil

salt as needed

Wash fish well and pat dry. In a bowl mix all the other ingredients well and apply to the fish using your hands so it spreads nicely. Marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, lay the fish out on a pan covered in foil and use a light cooking spray. bake for 20-25 minutes(depending on the fish).

Serving suggestions;

  1. With Dal and Roti with a side of an onion and tomato kachumber (salad)
  2. With Dal and Rice with a side of sliced onion and cucumber tossed in vinegar, sugar and salt.
  3. With  Gnocchi tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Wine Suggestions;

A good rose will go well or a Gruner Veltliner which is an Austrian white that compares well with any good chardonnay.

Side bar:

This masala can used to make a curry using fish, shrimp, chicken or dried peas (soaked over night).

Basic  Malwani  Curry

3 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp ustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 onion chopped

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2 tsp malwani masala

1 tbsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilli powder

5-6 curry leaves (important but optional)

2 tsp tamarind paste (4 chopped tomatoes for chicken)

salt as needed

Add mustard and cumin seeds to 1 tbsp oil, when they sputter add the curry leaves and turmeric. Add  onions and saute till light brown and then add  ginger garlic paste. Add the malwani masala, coriander powder. Saute well, cool and grind to a paste. Take 2 tbsp oil in the same pan and add the ground masala to it , saute. Now add the tamarind paste (or chopped tomatoes ) and salt. Saute well till  oil appears on the sides. Now add your protein and cook. If using dried peas, soak overnite and pressure cook before adding it to your curry.

HAPPY COOKING FROM KAVITA ATUL!