Fried Fish - Ocean Smelts

We get a type of fish in Bombay called Mandeli. These are small fish- fried whole- and chomped down by the plateful with ice-cold beer. Really missed it here in Canada till I discovered Ocean smelts. Thanks to the lady at the fish counter at my grocery store for introducing me to this fish.

You can buy the smelts all cleaned at the fish counter. Just wash them and check that all the scales are off when you bring them home.

6 ocean smelts
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
Oil for shallow frying
rice flour for breading the fish

Clean the fish if needed and marinate in ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric, chili powder and salt for at least 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a frying pan, dredge the fish in rice flour and fry till crisp. This is a small fish, takes couple of minutes to fry each fish.
Drain on a paper towel and serve with an ice cold beer :)

Crab cakes

Eternal favourite for sea-food lovers and so easy to make. I use Panko bread crumbs instead of regular bread crumbs. Personal choice.

1lb of crab meat
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg beaten
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1 tsp hot sauce (any hot sauce will do)
1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Canola oil for frying

In a large bowl, beat the egg. Add the mayonnaise, mustard and hot sauce and blend. Add the crab meat and mix lightly. Add the bread crumbs and fold in.
Heat oil in a pan, form the crab cakes (about 3 TBS mi in each). Fry till golden on both sides on a medium flame.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Prawns Curry (Kolambiche Kalwan) - CKP Style

Special request for this recipe from Kenya! I promised my daughter it would not be very complicated - so here is a very simple recipe for prawns curry.

1 lb prawns - shelled, deveined
1 tsp ginger paste
1 1/2 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp tamarind pulp

1 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves
tiny piece of cinnamon
1/2 cup grated coconut (blended with water) OR 1/2 cup thick coconut milk
chopped coriander
oil

Marinate the prawns with ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, chili powder, turmeric, tamarind pulp.
Heat oil, fry the chopped onion till translucent with the cloves and the cinnamon. Add the prawns, saute for a minute or 2 and add the coconut milk. Adjust seasoning. Bring to a boil just until the prawns are cooked. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Do not overcook the prawns - or you will end up with rubbery prawns. Serve hot with plain rice. 

Sauteed Prawns - CKP Style

Easy- fast- tasty- popular!!!

1 lb of prawns (shrimps) - peeled and deveined)
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp tamarind extract
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
chopped coriander
salt to taste
oil

Marinate the shrimp with salt, turmeric, chili powder, ginger and garlic paste and the tamarind extract for about 15-20 minutes.
In a large saute pan, heat oil, fry the onions till they start to change colour. Add the prawns and quickly saute them till done- do not overcook the shrimp or they turn into rubber. That's the reason for a large saute pan...so you have space to fry the shrimp quickly.
Garnish with lots of fresh coriander. Serve and enjoy!!

Fish Curry - CKP style

This curry style can be used for most types of fish, pomfret, kingfish etc. I have also made this style curry with Rainbow trout and Halibut. These fish like Indian spices I think...I tried this with Salmon and that was a failed meal! Traditionally it is made with fresh grated coconut that is ground to a fine paste - but if you have thick coconut cream that works as well. You don't always get fresh coconut everywhere. Frozen grated coconut works too...
 Some people prefer a paste of just garlic and green chillies...I prefer ginger in there and I use more red chili powder instead of the green chili. I like the colour the red chili powder gives to the dish.

So here goes - one of the most simple fish dishes...

1 lb of cleaned fish - pomfret, kingfish, halibut etc
2 TBS garlic paste
1 1/2 TBS ginger paste
1 TBS tamarind extract
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chili powder (cayenne)
salt
2 TBS grated coconut blended to a fine paste or
2 TBS frozen coconut soaked in 2 TBS hot water blended to a fine paste or
2 TBS thick coconut cream
chopped coriander
1 small garlic clove smashed
oil

Clean the fish and wash it, apply salt, turmeric, chili powder, ginger garlic paste and tamarind pulp to the fish and let marinate for about 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan big enough so it does not crowd the fish. Put in the smashed garlic clove to flavour the oil. Put in the marinated fish and all the masala with it. Saute this for a couple of minutes till you see the fish change colour.

Put in the blended coconut paste / coconut cream and add water to desired consistency. Let it come to a boil and sprinkle chopped coriander on top.

Serve this with steaming hot rice...enjoy!!!!!!!!

paaplet kalvan

pomfret curry

surmai kalvan

Shrimp Sabudana Paapdis

Sabudana - 250 gms
Water - 2 ltr
Shrimp - 150 gms (cleaned, deveined)
Salt - According to taste
Pepper - 1/2 tsp


Wash the sabudana and soak it for 2 hours in 4 cup water (the quantity of water should be double the quantity of sabudana).
Run the shrimp through the food processor till completely mashed. add pepper and mix well.

Take a deep pan and boil 6 cups water in it. Once the water starts to boil add soaked sabudana and salt to it. Stir it continuously so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

When the sabudana is cooked (it turns transparent once it is cooked.) Take the mixture off the heat and add the shrimp mixture and stir till completely mixed.

Proceed with making the papdis as usual, though its better if you make these slightly smaller than usual.

Dry them completely and store in an airtight container. These will not last as long as our regular sabudana papdis...usual shelf life is about 2 months.

Appetizers - Sesame prawns on toast

• 1 lb cleaned raw prawns
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder or grated garlic
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions 
• 1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil
• 10 slices thinly sliced bread , crusts removed
• 4 tablespoons sesame seeds approx
• oil , for deep-frying

Chop everything together from prawns to sesame oil - preferably in a chopper. You can either slice the bread into 3 pieces each or just quarter it. oil should be medium hot...you want the prawns to cook and the toast should not burn in that time. Spread the prawn paste onto the bread pieces - slight mound in the centre- don't over heap or the prawns will not cook. Put the sesame seeds on a small plate and lightly press the toast - prawn side onto the seeds. Fry the toasts in medium hot oil - prawn side down first for 2-3 minutes. turn over and fry till golden brown. Drain onto paper towel. Serve with sweet chili sauce.


This is a fast and easy appetizer - and ever popular with a crowd. You can do a baked version for the calorie conscious but it really doesn't turn out the same.

Appetizers - Butterflied Prawns

This is a fun fun companion to any kind of alcohol - especially if the cook is imbibing!

25 Large prawns ( peeled, with tails left on and slit down the back and vein removed)
2 eggs ( beaten, add salt and garlic powder)
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
salt, pepper, garlic powder, oil for deep frying

wash, peel, de-vein, butterfly and pat dry the prawns.
beat the eggs with salt and some garlic powder
Mix flour, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and garlic powder

Heat oil.

Dip the prawn in the egg mixture then in the flour mixture and coat them thoroughly. Deep fry on moderate heat for about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve with a sweet chili dipping sauce and some finely chopped cabbage and carrots for garnish.

Fried Sole- CKP style

I am from Mumbai and I miss eating the umpteen varieties of fish we get there. But I am a fish eater wherever in the world I am and I learn to cook and enjoy all the local fish from every new place.
When we came to Canada we discovered Dover sole. I searched for recipes and found some very good ones- but I kind of wanted to try it Indian style. I found the texture was similar to Bombay duck, though sole is firmer than bombay duck. But its a delicate white flesh fish which marries well with Indian spices.
You can only pan fry this fish though, no fish curry here- the fish tends to melt into the curry. So here goes...

A pound of sole fillets (about 4-5 fillets)
1tablespoon ginger- garlic paste (very fine paste)
1/2 teaspoon thick tamarind pulp
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
salt and red chili powder as per taste.
rice flour and fine semolina (to dredge the fish)
oil for frying

wash and fry the fillets, and pat dry. Apply the salt, turmeric, chili powder, ginger-garlic paste and let marinate for about 15-20 minutes. Apply the tamarind paste and let sit for 5 minutes or so ( not too long as the tamarind tends to cook the fish and dry it out.)
Heat oil in your pan, mix equal amounts of rice flour and fine semolina, dredge the fillet in the mixture, make sure the entire fillet is coated. Fry on medium heat till crisp. The fish cooks very fast, but you want the coating to crisp up.

Goes very well with a cold beer. Enjoy!!