Fish Corn Crisps

This crispy, tasty and a medium spicy appetizer will surely become a kids delight and also your favourite dish. I have choosen Tilapia fish variety as it is very healthy, best for all ages and also perfect for frying. Tilapia farm raised fillets (fresh/frozen) are available in any american grocery store. In India, you can use murrel or korameen fish.

Ingredients

Tilapia (fresh farm raised) - 1/2 pound

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 Tspoon

Chilly powder - 1 Tspoon

Oil - 1.5 cup (rice cooker standard cup)

Salt - 1 Tspoon

Turmeric - 1 Tspoon

Lemon juice - 3 drops

Corn meal - 2 Tspoons

Pepper powder - 1 Tspoon

Procedure

• Wash the tilapia fillets and cut them in to medium sized cubes as shown above. Now to the fillet cubes, add salt, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, chilly powder and few drops of lemon. Allow the fish cubes to marinate for atleast 30 minutes before frying. Keep them in refridgerator if you want to fry them later.
  
• Just before frying, sprinkle little amount of corn meal on the marinated pieces and mix them gently.
  Note: Corn meal adds a crispy taste and texture to the fish cubes. If you have no corn meal, add a spoon of corn flour and a spoon of bread crumbs.
• Now take a medium sized fry pan and add oil until it is half filled and heat on a low flame. Once oil gets heated, fry the fish cubes for about 3-4 minutes. To make sure fish cubes are fried properly, flip around gently and fry them for couple of more minutes.
• When the cubes start turning light reddish brown, take them off the oil and spread them on a plate covered with 2 sheets of tissue papers. Once the excess oil is absorbed, transfer them in to a serving bowl.
• Sprinkle pepper powder, garnish with onions and serve hot!
  My Mom's Health Tip: Always add little pepper powder to all non-veg fries for easy digestion.
• Yummy fish corn crisps are ready! You can have them just as an appetizer or can be had with rice accompanied by Mangalore fish curry (already posted) or fish pulusu or any lentil.

Mangalore Fish Curry

I watched this receipe on some channel few years back and liked the process at very first sight. The red chillies and curry leaves soaked in tangy spicy gravy will add a special flavour to the fish. I am sure this will be a mouth watering and a tongue tinkling dish to all the fish lovers like me.

Note: Always serve fish curry with hot steamed rice and chopped onions.

Ingredients
Tilapia fresh farm fillets - 1 Pound
Tamarind pulp - 4 spoons
Tomatoes (wine red) - 2 Large
Coconut Milk - 4 tspoons
Onions - 2 Big
Red Chillies - 6
Curry Leaves - 5 (chop them small for more flavour)
Ginger Garlic paste - 2 spoons
Cilantro - as desired (more u add more the flavour)
Turmeric - 1 tablespoon
Red chilly powder - 3 tablespoons (varies as per the spice level)
Methi (Fenugreek powder ) - 1/2 tspoon
Garam Masala - 1 tspoon
Salt - as required
Lemon juice - 1 tspoon
Oil - 5 tspoons

Procedure:

• Quickly rinse the fresh water tilapia fillets under running water.
  Note: Handle fish with care as it is the most tenderest meat.
• Now cut each side of fillet in to three equal halves. For gravies, always use little over the medium sized pieces.
• Marinate the cut fish pieces with turmeric, red chilly powder, salt and lemon juice.
• Allow the pieces to absorb the flavours for 30 mints or 15 mints if you are in a hurry to cook.
• Now take a saucepan and add little oil as required. Once the oil gets heated, add chopped onions, red chillies and curry leaves.
• When onions turn translucent, add a spoon of ginger garlic paste and stir well for a minute.
• Now add two chopped tomatoes or you can substitute with tomato puree/paste (equivalent amount).
  Note: You can skip tomatoes if you think it will make curry more tangy.
• Stir fry the mixture in a very low flame. Add little water to avoid sticking to the bottom of the sauce pan.
• Cover the pan and stir occasionally.
• Now add the tamarind pulp to the mixture and stir again.
• Depending on the desired gravy consistency, add water.
• Now add half a spoon of methi/fenugreek powder to the gravy (do not add more as it makes gravy bitter).
  My Mom's Health Tip: Fenugreek powder is very good for health and goes really well with sour taste. So, always include a little amount of it in all your sour curries.
• Now add coconut milk to the gravy and let the gravy/sauce boil for few more minutes until the oil oozes out.
• Now uncover the pan and add the marinated fish pieces to the gravy.
  Note: Do not stir the pieces as they tend to get mashed easily.
• Cover the pan and let the fish pieces cook in the spicy and tangy gravy under a slow flame (approximately 10 mints).
• Check for the salt and add if required (tangy curries tend to absorb more salt).
• Switch off the stove.
• Now transfer the fish curry in to a dry serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves and red chillies.
  Note: For best results, serve the curry after 3 hrs of cooking.
• Serve the curry with hot steamed rice and crunchy chopped onion slices.