Fish Kabiraji: Bengali Fish Cutlet With Crispy Outer Covering

Snacking is the solution to all of our problems. For foodies, whether you are bored, depressed, or just hungry, a snack may make everything better. When the desire to nibble on excellent food strikes, it does not go until the stomach is full of crispy and tasty treats. You search your kitchen for something to thrill your taste sensations and raise your spirits. That is why you enjoy snacking on cutlets. Crispy on the exterior and soft on the inside, the little circular cutlet is a delectable delight. The Fish Kabiraji cutlet is a Calcutta specialty. It is served in 'cabins,' which are cafe-style eateries.

This fish kabiraji cutlet recipe, like several other classic Bengali appetisers, was presumably invented during the British period and inspired by British cuisine, as Kolkata was the capital of India for a long time. The name kabraji is said to be derived from the English word covering, which signifies that a crispy cover (made of eggs and cornflour) is used to wrap the fried fish cutlet. Mitra Cafe has been creating several bengali cutlets and kabiraji recipes since the British time, and their fish kabiraji dish is one among them.


Ingredients:

  • 1.5 kg fish fillet (12 cm x 6½ cm, and 5mm-thick)

For the marinade

  •  80 g onions
  • 10 g coriander leaves
  • 10 g parsley
  • 50 g green chillies
  • 10 g garlic
  • 10 g ginger
  • 25 g salt
  • 2 g Bengali gorom moshla (Bengali Garam Masala)
  • ½ tsp MSG
  • 5 g sugar
  • 4 g pepper
  •  2 tsp lime
  • 2 eggs‍
  • 50 g maida

For the breading:

  • breadcrumbs
  • white semai
  • 6 eggs
  • salt
  • black pepper

Covering:

  • 200 g eggs (for the batter, plus 2 extra eggs for an egg wash)
  • 8 g maida (plain flour)
  • 8 g cornstarch
  • 10 g green chillies‍
  • ¼ tsp salt‍
  • 10 pcs pepper corn
  • 5 g coriander leaves
  • 1 pinch jowan (carom seeds)
  • vegetable oil for frying

‍Method for preparation:

Marinate fish fillet

  • Place the fish fillets on a tray and pat them dry with an absorbent cotton cloth or paper towels. Allow the tray to dry for a few hours in the fridge, uncovered.
  • Mix together onion, coriander leaves with roots, flat leaf parsley, green chillies, garlic, ginger, salt, Bengali garam moshla, MSG, sugar, black pepper, and lime juice to make a marinade.
  • Spread the marinade evenly over the fillet. Turn the fillet over and coat the other side well.
  • Allow the fish to marinade in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes, stir in the beaten eggs and plain flour (maida). Be gentle while doing the process.

Breading the fillet

  • Prepare the breeding station. The instructions are for those who are right-handed. If you are left-handed, do the opposite. 
  • Season a big tray with breadcrumbs. Place this tray to your right. Crack 4-6 eggs into a tray large enough to hold the fillet. 
  • Place this tray to your left. Whisk in one pinch of salt for every egg. Allow 15 minutes for the eggs to deepen in colour and become loose and watery. That way, you'll use fewer eggs. Place a wooden block to your left for moulding the created cutlets.
  • Place a fillet on the breadcrumbs with your left (wet) hand and a thorough covering of the marinade. Cover the fillet with breadcrumbs, pressing lightly with your right (dry) hand. The first crumb layer is here. We'll coat it again for a crunchier, thicker layer.
  •  Place the fillet in the egg wash using your right (dry) hand. Turn it over and pick it up with your left (wet) hand. Get this done quickly and allow all of the extra egg to drop off. If the egg is not well drained, the second crumb layer will be excessively thick.
  •  Return the egg-coated fillet to the breadcrumb tray. Cover the fillet with crumbs once again with your right (dry) hand. Place it on the shaping board with your right hand.
  • To make crisp straight edges and sharp corners, use a flat metal bench scraper or cleaver to push against each side of the fillet. Finally, flatten the entire cutlet from top to bottom. Place the completed cutlet on a plate that has been cleaned. Work with a few fillets at a time if creating a large quantity. Refrigerate both the excess fillet and the created cutlets.

For the covering:

  • Make a paste of green chilies and pepper corns in a mortar and pestle with 14 teaspoon salt.
  •  Beat 200 g eggs with 4 g of the salt-pepper-chilli paste you prepared earlier.
  • Allow the beaten eggs to sit for 15 minutes. The eggs will deepen in colour and become watery.
  •  In a small bowl, combine maida and cornflour. Mix in 4-5 tablespoons of the beaten egg mixture. Return the smooth, lump-free mixture to the remaining eggs. This prevents lumps from forming when flour is added straight to the eggs. From now on, we'll call this the 'egg batter.'
  •   Separately, beat two eggs in a separate dish and put aside. (From now on, we'll refer to these as the beaten eggs.)   On medium-high heat, heat the biggest flat frying pan you have. A bigger pan allows you to make a larger covering and hence more layers.
  •  Add vegetable oil to a depth of at least 3 cm.
  •  Dip your fingers in the egg batter and swing your wrists over the pan (keeping your fingers straight) to make thin strands of fried egg when the oil is fairly hot (180°C). Repeat this process until an airy, crisp carpet appears. Take your time! Allow the web to develop gradually in layers.
  •  Sprinkle coriander and Jowan (carom seeds) over the fried egg web.
  •  Coat a fish cutlet with beaten eggs. Keep in mind that this is not the same as the kabiraji batter.
  • Place one end of the egg covering over the cutlet. Turn and roll the cutlet so that the egg coating completely envelops it.
  • Remove from the oil and let the excess fat drip for a minute on paper towels. Allowing it to sit for too long can cause the coating to get soggy; serve when it's still hot and crispy.