FISH THALI ( Karwar preparation)

My Sunday Lunch Thali looks like this. After having all the festive meal this is what my family and I crave for, my native Karwar delicacies 😄. Pomfret fish curry, Crab masala, Surmai fish fry, chapati, rice, salad and my favourite drink Solkadhi.

POMFRET FISH CURRY

Ingredients:

· Pomfret fish – 2 medium sized (cut into slices)

· Salt

· Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

· Onion – 1 medium (finely chopped)

For curry masala:

· Freshly grated Coconut - 1.5 cup

· Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp

· Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp (slightly roasted)

· Mustard seeds – ¾ tsp (slightly roasted)

· Methi seeds – less than ¼ tsp (slightly roasted)

· Black pepper – ½ tsp (slightly roasted)

· Bedgi Mirchi – 7-8 (slightly roasted)

· Vatehuli (in kannada) – 4-5 (this is used for sourness)

· Green chili - 1

Method:

· Clean and marinate the fish with little salt for about 15-20 mins.

· To make the masala for the curry, grind all the above ingredients into a fine paste. (Except green chili, add green chili at the end and just grind it once or twice)

· Now take a utensil of your choice, add coconut oil and fry the onions till it is translucent.

· Now pour the curry masala and adjust the water as per your preference. (don’t make it very thin)

· Add salt and let it boil.

· Now add the marinated pieces of fish to the boiling curry and cover it with a lid

. Keep the flame on medium heat.

· Let the curry come to a boil, turn off the flame once the fish is properly cooked.

· Serve it hot with rice or any Indian bread of your choice.

CRAB MASALA

Ingredients: 

· Crab - 7-8 medium sized

· Salt

· Coconut oil – 1 tbsp

· Onion – 1 medium (finely chopped)

For masala: 

· Freshly grated Coconut - 1 cup

· Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

· Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp (slightly roasted)

· Mustard seeds – ½ tsp (slightly roasted)

· Methi seeds – less than ¼ tsp (slightly roasted)

· Black pepper – 8-10 in nos. (slightly roasted)

· Bedgi Mirchi – 7-8 (slightly roasted)

· Vatehuli (in kannada) – 4-5 (this is used for sourness)

· Garlic - 6-7

Method:

· Clean the crabs and keep it aside.

· To make the masala for the curry, grind all the above ingredients, do not make it very fine. Use little water to grind it.

· Now take a utensil of your choice, add coconut oil and fry the onions till it is translucent.

· Now add the cleaned crab and cover it with a lid. Keep the flame on medium heat. Add salt.

· Now pour the masala and adjust the water as per your preference. Cover and cook,

· Let the masala come to a boil, turn off the flame.

· Serve it hot with steamed rice.

SOL KADHI

Ingredients:

· Dried Kokum – 10-12

· Grated Coconut – 1.5 cup OR 1 to 1.5 cups thick coconut milk

· Garlic – 2 cloves

· Green chillies – 1-2

· Asafoetida (hing) – a pinch

· Sugar – a pinch

· Salt

· Water to adjust the consistency

· Coriander leaves

*****If you don't like the flavor of garlic you can replace it with cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp.

Method:

· Soak the dried kokum in about ¾ cup water for 2-3 hours.

· Take a mixer jar, add grated coconut, garlic and chillies together with little water.

· Grind it and use a strainer to strain the milk. Now again grind the left-over dry coconut remains, extract the milk by adding little water.

· Repeat this process 2-3 times till all the 'milk' gets extracted from the coconut.

· Now discard the kokum from the water and add the coconut milk mixture into the kokum water, mix well to get a pink coloured solkadhi.

· Add hing, sugar, salt and garnish with coriander leaves.

· You can refrigerate it and before serving stir the sol kadhi once.

****You can also use Kokum Juice and coconut milk which is easily available in many stores, instead of using the dried kokum and extracting milk from the coconut. For this you can add crushed garlic and chillies in the cocconut milk mixed with kokum juice and other ingredients. Strain it while serving it.

SURMAI FISH FRY

Ingredients: 

· Fish slices

· Tamarind – small lemon sized

· Garlic – 7-8 cloves

· Ginger – 1 inch

· Mustard seeds and Fenugreek seeds (slightly roasted) – 1 tsp together

· Red Chili powder – 2 tbsp

· Turmeric powder – ¾ tsp

· Coriander powder – 1 ½ tsp

· Salt

· Water

· Rava & Oil for frying

Method:

· Wash the fish slices in running water, let the water drain out, and then apply salt, leave it aside for 10-15 mins.

· Soak the tamarind in water for some time. Take a mixer grinder add soaked tamarind, ginger, garlic, roasted mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Grind until you get a fine smooth paste.

· Remove this paste in a bowl and add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Adjust the consistency by adding water, do not make it very runny. · Apply this paste to slices and keep aside for 8-10 minutes.

· Take a small plate with rava in it. · Heat a frying pan and spread oil on it for shallow frying the fish.

· Coat the fish slices in rava and arrange the rava coated fish slices on the frying pan one by one.

· Spread oil from the sides of the pan. Remember not to cook on very low flame.

· After few minutes, flip to the other side, spread oil once again and fry for few more minutes.

· Flip it again and let it cook. Remove it from the pan once the fish is completely cooked.

· Enjoy this with any curry of your choice as an accompaniment.

 *** Same marination paste can be used to fry any fish of your choice. You can keep this marination in the refrigerator for a week. But store it in a glass air tight container.