When it's come to seafood, there is one cuisine which I thoroughly relish as a lover of masala based food. My first introduction to Mangalorean cuisine was when I had lunch at Anupam's Coast to Coast in Koramangala, Bangalore. This dimly lit, tucked away kinda joint is still quite famous for its ghee roast, fish fry and more. Most of the dishes here are made with that typical blend of ground coconut, ghee, loads of spices all ground up to make a finger-licking-good yumminess in every bite.
Lady Kane - loved it with neer dosa at Sea Rock restaurant in Sivananda Circle, Bangalore. Another must-visit place if you love coastal food, spice and everything nice.
So, as usual, I had that itch to replicate these dishes from home. Chicken Ghee roast recipe is already up on my blog. This one's a curry - Ghassi as they call it in Mangalorean cuisine.
I am not quite sure if you can add any other type of fish and make this curry, but adding Lady Kane was basis what I've tried out at restaurants and personal preference of course.
Fresh coconut, a simple mix of spice powders and a marinade make this recipe easy to prepare and is comfort food for a fish lover like me.
So here's what you need to make Meen Ghassi for 2
INGREDIENTS:
6 - 8 pieces of Lady Kane fish, cleaned
1 cup Coconut milk
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking
Masala Base
10 Kashmiri Red Chillies
1.5tbsp - Coriander seeds
1 tsp - Cumin seeds
1 tsp - Black peppercorn
1 Chopped onion (medium)
4 Garlic Pods
1 inch - Tamarind
1 tsp - Turmeric powder
1 cup - Freshly grated coconut.
PROCEDURE
1. Transfer all the ingredients listed under Masala to a mixie jar, add some water and grind o form a fine paste. Set aside.
2. In a deep pan, add about 4 tbsp - oil, to this, add the blended masala and cook for about 3-4 mins on a low flame, do not burn or heavily roast the masala. Add 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil.
3. Add the fish pieces, salt to taste and let this cook for 10-15mins on a low flame with a closed lid on.
4. Finally, add 1 cup of coconut milk, give it a good stir and let this cook for 5 mins.
Serve hot with plain rice, parathas, neer dosa.
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