Fish Palak Curry.

 Fish Palak Curry: (Fish cubes in a gravy of cream spinach)

Ingredients: 

Fish fillet (Pangas or Tilapia): 500 gms. I generally use fillets of these two kinds of fish. You can try this recipe with Rui or Catla fish too.

White oil: 2 tablespoons

 Plain Yoghurt: 100 gms

Lemon juice: 1/4 cup

Red onion: 1 large chopped roughly

Ginger/Garlic paste: 3 tablespoons

Green chili paste: 1 tablespoon

Spinach: 2 large cups of fresh spinach leaves boiled and grounded to a smooth paste. For saving time, you can use frozen cream spinach blocks available in all supermarkets.

Ground spices: Turmeric powder (2 teaspoons), Coriander powder (2 teaspoons), cumin powder (2 teaspoons), kashmiri chili powder (1 teaspoon), garam masala powder (half teaspoon) dried kasuri methi (1 teaspoon), dried oregano (1 teaspoon), salt to taste.

Fresh sour cream: 1 teaspoon for garnishing

Method:

Marination:

Cut the fish fillets into small cubes and marinate them with salt, lemon juice,dried kasuri methi and dried oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon each of the ground spices except garam masala, 1 tablespoon of ginger/garlic paste, half teaspoon of chili paste. Cover it and leave it aside for half an hour. If you are using Bengali fish like Rui/Catla, do not cut the fishes small. Marinate them as whole pieces.

Cooking:

·    Heat 1 tablespoon white oil and fry the marinated fish pieces lightly till light golden brown and remove them from oil when they are soft. Do not fry them deep.

·        In the same oil add the chopped onions and fry them golden. Remove them from the heat.

·        Make a mixture of yoghurt and add the fried onions. Make a smooth paste of the mixture in the blender.

·        Add 1 tablespoon oil to the used oil if it is too dried up and let it heat up again. Add the rest of the ginger/garlic/chili paste into the hot oil and keep stirring for half a minute. Add the yoghurt/onion mixture in the paste and keep stirring for another half a minute in medium heat.

·        Add all the ground spices 1 tablespoon each except garam masala and salt. Add very little water if the spices are too dried up. Keep cooking for 1 minute till oil separates from the mixture.

·        Now add 2 cups of spinach paste and keep cooking for 1 more minute till the mixture reaches a perfect blend. If you are using frozen spinach blocks, you can use 6/7 blocks. Add little water if required to a thick rich gravy. Add salt to taste.

·        Sprinkle some garam masala powder on top and remove it from heat.

·        Garnish with a teaspoon of fresh sour cream.

সৌজন্যে: শ্রীমতি দেবোলিনা সেনগুপ্ত   courtesy :  Mrs. Debolina Sengupta