Fish fry that wins hands down

Pushpesh Pant

To mix metaphors, fish isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Or coffee. But few culinary pleasures can match crisply fried fish in a zingy batter to fight the winter chill. Forget the staid, and by comparison, insipid fish’n’chips that the British take pride in. They know no better.

Not long ago, we passed through the town of Thal by the Ramganga riverside in Uttarakhand. It’s an ancient entrepôt where Shauka community trans-border traders brought thick woollen blankets — thulma, pashmina, pankhis and colourful rugs called namda. Merchants from Bageshwar intermingled, haggling and negotiating with competitors to strike deals in aromatic herbs, corals, etc. Sometimes, the accounts were settled in torch cells, matchboxes, jaggery and sugar. A fair-like atmosphere prevailed for weeks. What the visitors from the highlands and valleys agreed on was that the taste of the fish here was incomparable.

The catch of the day that is prized the most is ashyao, a small scale-less creature, which the locals call Kumaoni trout. Its flavour is a gift of the cold turquoise water of the stream. A roadside eatery, which identifies itself as Bora Hotel, is considered the outlet that dishes out the best fishy fare. You can have soupy fish curry with rice or snack on the fried fish. We think that the fry wins hands down. The fried fish is sold by weight and is cooked a la minute. It is coated in a very thin, but tantalising spicy, batter — not very pungent or complex but a veil that teases the diner to discover the beauty for oneself. It’s deep-fried for a small time and brought to the table sizzling. The accompanying chutney resembles a watered-down burani that has become inseparable from all takeaway biryanis, but has a distinct taste lent by hemp seeds and cooked juice of wild pomegranates. But let us not keep you drooling.

What we wish to share with you, dear readers, is that you don’t have to deny yourselves the joys of the Thal fish fry if you can’t travel to this remote dining destination. You may use any small scale-less fish you prefer. Just take care to not drape the fish in a thick pakora-like batter but just dip them in thin spicy batter before flash frying. You can easily discard the small bones. Even Babur, who found the fish of Hindustan bothersome, would have approved.

Those who are deterred by bones in fish will never know the bliss that hilsa aka ilish maach bestows, steamed or otherwise. Our friends from Karnataka go into raptures describing fried bangda, known as mackerel. There was a time many moons ago when we poor selves played safe and stayed loyal to boneless singhara and betki. Rajinder da Dhabha in SDA, Delhi, sold it by weight but, strictly speaking, these were more fish pakora than fish fries. With the passage of years, we overcame our fear of fish bones. The bones in a small fish, fried well, can be chewed easily and discarded.

We have sampled many varieties of fish fries — from Amritsari to varuval, pollichathu and varuthathu. And it was love at first bite with makhani machhi in Jalandhar. But, this one has really stolen our heart. Do try it at the earliest to get the better of the cold wave. We also recommend this recipe as a perfect antidote to splurging on rich sweets, plum puddings, assorted cakes and mince pies during the festive season. Happy New Year!

Thal Fish Fry

Ingredients

• Fish (small, without scales) 500 gm
• Gram flour 1 tbsp
• Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
• Mustard powder 1 tsp
• Amchoor powder 1 tsp
• Black peppercorn powder 1/2 tsp
• Ajwain 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Mustard oil to deep fry

Method

• Clean the fish, wash and pat dry. Score with a sharp knife on both sides, taking care to not cut through. Sprinkle salt and turmeric powder. Keep aside for about 20 minutes..
• Prepare a thin batter, mixing powdered spices and gram flour with sufficient water to prepare a thin batter.
• Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan till it smokes.
• Reduce heat to medium high. Dip each fish in batter to coat it lightly and also allow it to seep inside via the cuts.
• Fry the fish. Remove with a slotted spoon as soon as the exterior is browned and acquires a crispy look.
• The fish is thin and takes very little time to cook.
• Serve it, or savour it yourself, with roundly-sliced onions, green chillies and sliced lemon.