Pomfret Rava Fry – remembering Bangalore days

Sitting back at home, in these cool and rainy evenings in Kolkata, one memory I go back to most often, is the Bangalore days. Though it has been more than a decade since I left Bangalore and came back to Kolkata, yet for most of us Honumans, it has that one small, untouched corner of heart that we go back for searching brighter days and those yearnings for positivity.

But can memories be detached from food? No, never.
So one such favorite memories of Bangalore days, was having Pomfret Rava Fry in a small joint called “Pingara Family Bar & Restaurant” (yes, you read it right! 😉 ) in Koramangala 1st Block. This joint is basically a bar, amongst the numerous ones dotting the map of Bangalore but we only visited this place for this special dish!
Pomfret Rava Fry is a famous entity from the coastal cuisine of our country and whether it’s with rice or with a glass of our favorite drink, it makes an awesome company!

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Wondering what to serve with that cup of hot tea on a #rainyday or with that a glass of #chilled #beer ? Try our #recipe for Konkani #Rawa #fishfry with Honuman Twist! 1. Wash the #pomfret / #mackarel and marinate with salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder and lemon juice. Keep aside for 15 mins. 2. To prepare the Dry-Roast spice, heat a pan over high flame. Once hot, lower flame and add 1tsp each of #cumin, #coriander and fennel seeds and 3 dry red chillies. Roast for 7-8 mins, then transfer to a dry container and grid it into a fine powder. 3. Take Onion, ginger-garlic 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, 1/2 tsp of garam masala and 1 and 1/2 tsp of Bhaja-Masala prepared earlier. Mix well. 4. Pour the mixture over the marinated fish and mix well to coat the fishes completely. Leave for at least 30 mins. 5. Coat with Rawa/ Suji on both sides and fry till crisp. 6. Serve hot with fresh onion rings. lemon wedges and green chillies. Enjoy! . . . #monkeyfooddiaries #foodblogger #homerecipe #homecook #fingerfood #starters #fish #ig_calcutta #kolkatafoodbloggers #kolkatafoodie #foodtalkindia #foodporn #instagood #instalike #healthyfood #chef #honumanshongothon #followforfollow #instafood #fishfry

A post shared by Honumans | Travel & Tastebuds (@honumans) on Sep 1, 2017 at 10:00am PDT

Now we did make this in our Honuman gatherings in the past and the recipe is quite well-documented here: https://honumans.com/2017/09/01/konkani-rawa-fish-fry-recipe/ and so I will not describe it again here.

But what I will mention is that Sassy (my wife) hadn’t been to Bangalore then but she tasted this the first time when we made this in one Honuman gathering.
Now lock-down has done lot many things to our lives – good and bad. But the best part has been in kindling that longing to have such dishes once again and the interest to prepare these at home. So yesterday, post my work, I was pleasantly surprised to see that she had marinated the fish and kept it ready so that we could enjoy this crunchy fish fry at dinner time.

Nobody can tell how many times I visited the kitchen just to mesmerize at these beauties. So when time came, I dipped the marinated fishes in a bowl of semolina and deep fried them for that crunchy crust!

And it was a wonderful dinner. All of us gorged into these and beyond the crunchy crust, was the flavorful marinade soaking into the fish.
May be after a long time, I said to myself, Thank God It’s Friday. 🙂

Have you done something like this? Cooked up a storm to enjoy a dish you had first in a different place? Let us know in the comments.