Konkani Rawa Fish Fry Recipe

Wondering what to cook for light snacks on a rainy evening, to go with that perfect cup of hot tea? Or what to serve for snacks with that glass of chilled beer at a house party? Well here’s a lip smacking recipe from our Chef Monkey 🙂

Having first tasted this at a small beer shack in Bangalore named Pingara, this dish still remains as one of our favourite finger foods. We have added a bit of “Honuman” touch to this recipe with our own “bhaja-masala” or “dry-roast-spice”. Do try it out.

Preparation Time: 45 mins
Cooking Time: 10/15 mins

Ingredients:

Small/ Medium Pomfret fish — 5 or 6 nos (You can use Mackarel fish instead as well)
Rawa (Sooji/ Suji)

For marinade:
Yoghurt — 50g
Onions  — 2 big
Ginger   — 1 inch piece
Garlic    — 5/6 cloves
Coriander leaves — small bunch, finely chopped
Lemon — 2 big
Green chillies
Red Chilli powder
Turmeric powder
Garam Masala powder
Salt
Ground Pepper 

For the Bhaja Masala/ Dry-Roast Spice:
Cumin Seeds — 2 tbsp
Corriander Seeds — 2 tbsp
Fennel Seeds — 2 tbsp
Dry red chilies — 3/4

Method:

1. Wash the pomfrets and wipe them with a dry tissue. Make 2 angular cuts on each side of the fishes so that the marinade can go inside.
2. Marinate the fish with salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder and juice of half a lemon. Keep aside for  at least 15 mins.
3. To prepare the Bhaja masala, heat a pan over high flame, do not add any oil. Once pan is hot, lower flame and add all the whole seeds and red chillies for Dry-Spice to the pan. Let this roast for 7-8 minutes while you stir lighly so that they dont burn. This should start giving a nice aroma now. After 7-8 mins, take if off the flame and let this cool.
4. Once the masala is cool enough, transfer into a dry mixer container and grid it into a fine powder. The “Bhaja-Masala” is now ready.
   You can also store this masala in an air-tight container for future use, it generally stays fresh for 10-15 days.
5. Take onion, ginger and garlic together in a mixer container and make into a fine paste.
6. Now to this paste, add 2 tbsp yogurt, 1tbsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric, chopped coriander leaves, 1/2 lemon juice, salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp of garam masala. Mix well.
7. To this mixture, now add 1 and 1/2 tsp of Bhaja-Masala prepared earlier and mix again.
8. Pour the mixture over the marinated fish and mix well to coat the fishes completely. Leave for at least 30 mins.
9. Pour Rawa/Suji in a big bowl and keep ready.
10. Once fish has marinated enough, heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot, take a marinated fish and drop it into the bowl of rawa. Suji/Rawa will now stick to the fish. Turn to coat on both sides and then transfer to the pan.
11. Fry on low flame initially, so that the fish cooks through and the heat doesn’t burn the Rawa coating. Fry till crisp.
12. Squeeze a bit of lemon on top and serve hot with fresh onion rings and green chillies.

    Enjoy with that cup of amazing tea or just chill with a glass of cold beer

    Do let us know if you like our recipe 🙂

    From
    The Chef Monkey