My Memories of Green Chilli Fish from the Chambal River
This recipe is part of the series The Recipe I Mastered This Year
I have never liked to cook, and never thought it possible that I would ever cook well. However, over the past year, I have been cooking every day and it's made me love cooking, and learn more about cooking. There are a few of my mom's dishes which I have always loved and missed recently. One of them is what we'd call Green Chilli Fish - truly one of a kind, and I have never found it anywhere besides her kitchen. I grew up in Rawatbhata, and the fish there is amazing, because of the Chambal River. My love for fish began there.
This particular dish sounds quite easy to make, but it is a wee bit complicated. Its reward is it tastes like heaven. The first time I cooked this dish, it was amazing, which surprised even me, because I never imagined I could cook these dishes as perfectly as my mom. But perhaps because I have been in love with her food since forever, and always watch her cook, something inside me remembered.
Sajiya’s Green Chilli Fish
Ingredients
1/2 kg fresh fish (Indian salmon is best, but Rohu or Indian carp do just as well)
2 medium onions
1 whole bulb of garlic
1 inch ginger
3-5 sticks of clove
10-12 peppercorns
4 bay leaves
1 stick cinnamon
2 pods black cardamom
150 g fresh coriander
6 large spicy green chillies
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 a lime
Salt, to taste
Method
Wash the fish in running water, and then coat the fillets in in gram flour and salt.
Set aside.
Blend the coriander, green chilli, garlic, ginger, clove and black pepper to form a green paste.
Chop the onions and set aside.
In a wok, pour in the oil, followed by bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, cardamom, and then the onions. Allow to fry until the onions turn pink.
Now, rinse out the fish. Gently slide each fillet in one at a time, then flip it over.
Do the same with the rest, one by one. Be gentle so the fillets don't break.
Now add in the green paste and ensure all the pieces are coated well. Slowly stir the pieces and flip them. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
Cook the gravy and fish together until the fish is cooked through and soft, and the gravy has been absorbed.
Plate the fillets and finish with a squeeze of lemon.
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