Fish Cutlets

After making the Fish Biryani I still had a lot of fish left to cook with and decided to make these cutlets. This recipe is also from my mom and while making these I realized that the recipe is very similar to my chicken cutlet recipe. These cutlets are absolutely yummy and no they do not smell fishy at all!! These are very easy to make and freeze very well. After shaping the cutlets, line them in a tray or a freezer box. After one layer, line with plastic wrap and repeat with another layer. Cover completely with plastic wrap and freeze. To cook, simply remove from the freezer, thaw for a few minutes and proceed with the dipping and breading. Since all the ingredients are already cooked they just need to brown on the pan. My colleagues told me that they make fish cutlets with canned tuna. Though I have not tried it, I think that would also work well here.

Recipe - Makes 24 Cutlets

Ingredients

For the Marinade
2 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
Salt To Taste
1 Tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
For the Cutlets
500 Gms Hamour
400 Gms Potatoes (Boiled)
1 Cup Bread Crumbs
1 Cup Onion (Finely Chopped)
4 Green Chilies
1 Tsp Red Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Chat Masala
1 Tsp Black Pepper Powder
1/2 Cup Coriander Leaves (Finely Chopped)
1/2 Cup Mint Leaves (Finely Chopped)
Salt To Taste
For Frying
2 Eggs (Lightly Beaten)
Bread Crumbs For Breading

Oil For Frying

1. 
   
   Mix the marinade ingredients in a small cooking vessel and keep the fish pieces in it. Coat thoroughly with the marinade and keep aside.
2. 
   
   Peel and mash the potatoes. Flavour with salt and pepper.
3. 
   
   Sauté the onions and green chilies in a pan with a little oil. Remove and add to the potatoes. Add the bread crumbs, coriander and mint leaves and all other spices. Mix very well and taste. Adjust seasonings as per taste.
4. 
   
   Place the cooking vessel with the fish in it on low heat and let the fish cook. There will be some liquid in the marinade. Once the fish has cooked let all the liquid dry up and then turn off the heat and cool the fish. Remove all the bones, skin and fat from the fish. Flake the fish using a fork or your hands. Mix with the potato mixture and taste. Adjust seasonings. 
5. 
   
   Keep ready a tray to prepare and place the cutlets. Have a small bowl of vegetable oil to grease your hands while forming the cutlets. Take a small amount of mixture (the size of medium lemon) and roll it into a ball. Gently press between the palms of your hands to get a flat patty with neat edges. After every cutlet, grease your palms with the oil to prevent the mixture sticking to your hands. I generally prefer to work in an assembly line way and do each step with all the cutlets before going to the next step. Keep the bread crumbs in a small plate and next to it keep the bowl with the beaten eggs (season the eggs lightly with salt). Dip each cutlet in the egg (hold to remove excess) and then gently coat with the bread crumbs. Place it back on the tray or start frying. I prefer to dip and bread all of them before starting the frying process. To fry the cutlets, heat a frying pan with a little oil and shallow fry on low heat till golden brown. Turn once to brown both the sides. Serve hot with ketchup.

Happy Eating!!

Fish Biryani with Hamour

I work in the marine department of a real estate company and although my boss is an avid swimmer and diver I am the last person who will ever go in the water (I can’t swim!!). I am extremely scared of the water and wont even go in a boat without a million thoughts running in my head (all similar to the fate of the titanic). However, I do love all things that come from the sea (fish, prawns, crab.. yum!!, and was thrilled when one of our divers brought a fresh catch for the sea for me!! Yay! I got an excellent fillet of Hamour (Grouper) fish (all nicely cleaned and de-boned) weighing almost 2 kgs! When I was younger my mom used to make Hamour Biryani and that was the first thing that came to my mind. I gave a quick call to her and got the recipe. This was my first attempt at making a fish biryani and when I told Latif what I was making he made a face coz he had never eaten it before and thought it would taste fishy!! This fish is meaty and has a great flavour to it. Even after cooking for long it didn’t become rubbery. It is important to use a fish with white, firm flesh (King fish will also do) here as it needs to stand up to the cooking and not dissolve in the masala. Since the biryani was only for the two of us I used half of it to make the biryani and the other half went for fish cutlets (recipe coming soon!).

Recipe – Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Kg Hamour (Fillets Cut Into Serving Portions)
For the Marinade
2 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
For the Masala
4 Large Onions (Thinly Sliced)
2 Medium Tomatoes (Sliced)
4 Green Chilies (Slit Vertically Halfway)
1 Cup Yogurt
2 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1/2 Cup Hara Masala*
1 Tbsp Red Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tsp Coriander Seeds Powder (Dhanya Powder)
1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
1 Tbsp Garam Masala Powder
Salt To Taste
1/2 Cup Cooking Oil
For The Rice
2 1/2 Cups Basmati Rice
4 Cardamom Pods
1 Cinnamon Stick
2 Bay Leaves
4 Cloves
Salt To Taste
For The Garnish
1/2 Cup Fried Onions (Sliced And Deep Fried)
Coriander Leaves (As Needed)
Mint Leaves (As Needed)
1/4 Tsp Garam Masala Powder
1/2 Cup Milk
Food Color (Yellow, Red or Orange)
Saffron Strands
1 Tbsp Ghee

*To make the hara masala, grind a bunch of coriander leaves, a bunch of mint leaves and 10 green chilies along with some water to a smooth consistency. This masala can be used in any chicken or meat gravy.

1. 
   
   Wash the fish with water and pat dry with paper towels. In a plate, mix the marinade ingredients and marinade the fish in it. Cover and keep aside. Wash the rice changing the water two-three times and keep for soaking.
2. 
   
   Heat the ½ cup oil in a wide bottomed pot; add the sliced onions and green chilies. Fry on high for two to three minutes then turn the heat to low. Keep stirring every few minutes to ensure the onions do not burn; we want to get them to a golden brown color and not dark brown. When the onions become golden brown, add the tomatoes. Turn the heat to high again; add the salt, ginger garlic paste, red chili powder, coriander seeds powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala powder. Mix it well and lower the heat. Cook till the tomatoes are soft. Add the Hara masala and yogurt and mix well. Add the lemon juice, mix well and taste. Adjust all the seasonings as per taste. Lower the heat and gently nestle the marinated fish pieces in the masala. Lay each piece separately ensuring not to overlap. Do not touch the masala surrounding it. Pour all the marinade remaining in the plate along with the fish on top. Do not stir. Cover the pot with a lid and let the fish cook on low heat. The fish will cook very quickly so keep checking. We will be cooking it once again in the dum so be careful not to overcook it. Once the fish is done, turn off the heat and gently remove the fish pieces from the masala and keep on a separate plate. Stir the masala well.
3. 
   
   In a separate pot, heat 6 cups of water; throw in the whole garam masalas and salt. Keep a wide colander ready in the sink to drain the rice. When the water comes to a boil, add the rice and let it cook on high, uncovered till the rice is almost done. It is very important to watch the rice closely at this point as we want it to be cooked but not completely. There should still be a bite to the grain and must not be easily squished between your fingers. Once the rice reaches this point, turn off the heat and drain the rice in the colander.
4. 
   
   When the rice is boiling keep all the garnish ingredients ready near the stove. Wash and chop the coriander and mint leaves. Dissolve the saffron and food colour in the milk. We want to layer the biryani while the rice is still steaming. We need a big bottomed as well high pot for this. Place the pot on the stove, and begin with a layer of the rice. We need three layers of rice and two layers of masala so divide accordingly. Add a layer of masala and sprinkle some fried onions, coriander leaves and mint leaves on it. Add another layer of rice followed by a layer of the masala. Add the last layer of the rice and Pour the colored milk on the rice evenly. Sprinkle the garam masala powder on the rice and place the ghee on top. Gently keep the cooked fish pieces on top of the rice and garnish with all the fried onions, coriander leaves and mint leaves.
5. 
   
   Cover the pot with a tight lid to ensure no steam escapes from it. Keep the flame on high for a minute or two to ensure sufficient heat is generated in the pot. Turn the heat to low and keep cooking till steam starts forming on top and the rice is complete cooked.
6. 
   
   Once the rice is done, turn off the heat and remove the fish pieces to a separate plate. Mix all the layers together and serve in individual plates with a piece of fish.

Happy Eating!!