Fish Manchurian

When Sumi posted her

GobiManchurian

I was reminded of my Fish manchurian which had been lying idle in the draft.I did not post it because the last time I made it we finished it off before taking a snap.So was waiting for the next attempt...Sumi's Gobi was too tempting and I was reminded of the hot gobi manchurians that we used to get in our college canteen, for which there would be a big queue during the breaks.The tasty Manchurian was accompanied often by our cook's wonderful vocals and kitchen fire works...more so when the girls were around ;)!!But we enjoyed it....It was superlative manchurian that he made,but of course a lot Indianised with all those onions.Like Indian food that we get abroad, the Chinese food away from China, is far from being Chinese! I was quite surprised to know that this food from Manchuria,the North East region of China,never used onions,but rather a lot of spring onions, whereas back in India, what we got as Manchurian had a lot of onions invariably.Perhaps we might have Indianised this Chinese dish like most of the other Chinese food!...

Again the credit for my Fish Manchurian recipe goes to my mom...for I tasted Fish Manchurian for the first time when she made it,and I never knew before, that fish manchurian was a possibility.She used to generally make Gobi and Chicken;one day we were surprised by her fish variety.We just fell in love with it..... and I have tried it a few times; and Oh dear!you will be tempted to finish it off in no time.Soon after cooking, I keep it away into 'regions of no temptation' for the fear that my husband might be left with an empty plate when he comes home!So here goes the recipe for Fish Manchurian:
  












Ingredients:

Fish Fillets-250g(I used King Fish fillets this time,last time I had used baby sharks,any firm fleshed fish will do)-cut into small pieces.
Ginger-25g(ground into paste)
Garlic-10g(ground into paste along with ginger)
Garlic-15g(chopped thin)
Green chilli-4(chopped thin)
Red Pepper Sauce-2 tbsp
Soya Sauce-1 1/2 tbsp
Tomato Sauce-2 tbsp
Corn flour-3 tsp
(All purpose flour)Maida-3/4 tbsp
Egg-1
Milk-3 tbsp
Spring onion-20 stalks
Pepper powder-1 tsp
{White Onion-1-optional
Capsicum-1/2-optional
Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp-Optional
turmeric powder-a pinch-optional
Coriander leaves}-these ingredients may be added if you want to Indianise the taste)
Salt-as required
Oil-as required

Method:
Marinate fish with with pepper powder and salt(option-a little chillipowder+turmeric)for 10 minutes.Add 3tbsp milk and cook it.If you are using the conventional methods, you will have to add water as required.I microwaved it at high for 8minutes.Keep it aside.

Whisk egg well.Add corn flour and Maida gradually and whisk it to a smooth batter.Add pepper powder,ginger garlic paste and a pinch of salt(Be careful with your salt, because you have to give allowance for the saltiness of Soya Sauce later).If the batter is too thick add a tbsp milk and loosen it.

Heat oil in a wok for deep frying.When the oil starts smoking, dip each fish piece in the batter(coat it uniformly over the piece) and gently slip it into the oil.Keep turning the sides and cook till it turns golden brown.Transfer it to a paper towel and keep it ready for the next step.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok.Add the chopped garlic,green chillies,spring onions,(onions and capsicum, if you are adding them.Saute everything well till they become transluscent.Now add the sauces(Red Pepper,tomato,soya).Cook it for a minute and now add the fried fish pieces.If you want the gravy thick you may add a little of the egg-cornflour mix to it.Cook everything for a couple of minutes until the pieces are glazing with a thick coating of all the sauces. Serve hot with rice or noodles or even as a snack.You may add ajinomoto if you wish to...I dont add it cos it is generally not considered very healthy and the manchurian doesnt taste anything lesser still!

I made some Indianised Fusilli (I love those wonderful looking pastas!)to go with the Manchurian....just cooked in milk,with salt and pepper added, a tbsp butter,a little garam masala,one chicken stock cube and some parsley.Done!I was quite suprised to know about the amazing variety of pastas that we have....Interested to know more? Here is the

List of Pasta

.So enjoy the Fish Manchurian!

You can make chicken manchurian,prawn manchurian,paneer manchurian or any vegetable manchurian similarly.According to the ingredient you may have to alter the cooking time. I have made chicken-paneer manchurian on the similar lines.Here we need not cook paneer before batter frying.So vegetarians too can definitely enjoy this wonderful dish.I would like to mention here specially that paneer was absolutely great,perhaps greater than even chicken!!

Chicken-Paneer Manchurian