Gunpowder Fish

Grilled spiced fish, fish curry, onion rice

• CuisineIndian
• CategorySeafood
• CourseMains

Ingredients

• 
  Grilled Fish
• 1.5 kgMackerel, butterflied
• ½ cupGhee
• 1 tspMustard seeds
• 1 tbspGinger, chopped
• 1 tbspGarlic, chopped
• 1Fresh red chilli, sliced
• 4 tbspGunpowder
• ¼ cupOil
• 
  Fish Curry
• 200 gmsOnion, diced
• 50 gmsGarlic, sliced
• 10Kashmiri Chillies
• 5Dried red chillies
• 2 tspCoriander seeds
• 1 tspCumin seeds
• 8Peppercorns
• 3Cloves
• 2 cmCinnamon
• 2Cardamom
• ½ cupGrated coconut
• 1 tspTamarind paste
• 120 gmsTinned sardines
• 2 tspTomato paste
• 12Curry leaves
•  Oil
•  Ghee
• 
  Onion Rice
• 1 cupBasmati Rice (Sella)
• 100 gmsOnion, sliced
• 1 tspGaram masala
• ¼ cupGhee

Preparation

1. Grilled Fish
2. Heat ghee in a frying pan
3. Add mustard seeds and heat them till they pop
4. Add chopped ginger, garlic and red chilli and stir, remove from heat and cool
5. Add the gunpowder and mix, add more oil if needed to make into a paste
6. Place fish skin side down and apply on the fish
7. Pan fry the fish, skin side down till crisp
8. Place pan in oven at 180°C for 15 minutes

Fish Curry

9. Roast most of the onion and the garlic, ginger, chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, grated coconut till the flavour is released
10. Grind with the mixture with some water and the tamarind paste
11. Heat oil and fry the paste
12. Add the tinned sardines with the liquid and stir till it is broken up
13. Add tomato paste, 2 cups water, salt and simmer
14. Heat ghee in a frypan
15. Add remaining sliced onion and curry leaves and sizzle
16. Add to curry and take the curry off the heat

Onion Rice

17. Soak sella rice for 2 hours
18. Set Instant Pot on Saute and add ghee and sliced onion till it is brown
19. Add garam masala and stir
20. Drain the rice and add to rice and stir till coated with the ghee
21. Add 1 cup water and salt
22. Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes followed by 12 mins of NPR
23. Open and stir

Gunpowder is a mixture of potassium nitrate, sulphur and coal. But in South India, it is the nickname for a spcie powder also called milagai podi made from toasted lentils, dried chillies and a varying mix of other spices. The gunpowder moniker is from its spicy taste and consistency. It is used as a condiment with idlis, fried in oil and used as a dip and in a myriad of ways. Recently, it is used as a marinade, which is what I did here. My friendly fishmonger cut off the head, the tail, cleaned it up and butterflied it, removing the spine.

The fish curry does not really have pieces of fish but the tinned sardines give it the right flavour. The two main kinds of fish popular in Mangalore are the bangude, a kind of mackerel and butai, a kind of sardine. The two fish are represented here, though the mackerel are a lot smaller and the sardines a little bigger. Having a piece of fried fish accompanied by a fish curry without actual fish pieces accompanied by plain rice is a common meal. I have taken it a step higher with a whole large fish and ghee rice (or onion rice).

I have started using sella rice for biriyanis but now for onion rice. I also used the Instant Pot to cook it.