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The spicy kick of coconut-laced fish curries served with warm steamed rice is the ultimate comfort food of several communities in Mumbai. Here’s a classic pomfret recipe from the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) community of the city shared by author Roopa Nabar. On Saturday, she released her cookbook My romance with food that has detailed recipes of regional fare from Maharashtra as well as Goa.
POMFRET AMTI (Traditional Pomfret Curry)
Pomfrets are easily India’s most popular catch from the sea, and this GSB-style curry does complete justice to its delicate flavor. Spiced with two types of chillies−one for colour and one for spice, this four-ingredient masala makes the curry simple, smooth and satisfying.
Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 8-10 minutes
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
1 medium pomfret, 400 gms approx. cut into 6-7 darnes
Salt to taste
One-fourth teaspoon turmeric powder
Half cup grated fresh coconut
1 teaspoon raw rice
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
4 black peppercorns
3-4 dried red chillies (2 resham patti and 1-2 byadgi), broken
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon tamarind pulp
Half teaspoon chopped ginger
Half cup coconut milk
Method:
1. To the pomfret, add the salt and turmeric powder and rub well.
2. Put the coconut in a grinder jar, add the raw rice, one tablespoon chopped onion, peppercorns and dried red chillies with half cup water and grind to a fine paste.
3. Heat the coconut oil in a pan. Add the remaining onion and sauté until golden.
4. Add the ground paste and mix well. Add one cup of water, mix and cook on low heat for a minute.
5. Add the tamarind pulp and mix. Add the pomfret darnes, mix lightly and cook on high heat for a minute.
6. Reduce the heat to low and cook for two to three minutes.
7. Add the ginger and coconut milk, mix well and cook for one minute.
8. Serve hot.
The recipe is an edited excerpt from the book My romance with food by Roopa Nabar published by Popular Prakashan Pvt Ltd
