Hyderabadi Fish
Fish baked in rich, aromatic sauce made with sesame, coconut and poppy seeds.
Ingredients
- 1 kg firm, white freshwater or sea fish cut into 1-inch-thick slices
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt
- 1 large onion, sliced and deep fried until golden (for the garnish)
For the masala
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp white poppy seeds, soaked in a little water for 30 mins
- 5 tbsp fresh coconut, grated
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 1 1-inch piece of ginger
- 4-5 fresh, hot green chillies
- 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander (dhania) powder1/2
- 1 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
Instructions
- Rub the fish with the turmeric and a little salt and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toast the cumin and fenugreek seeds lightly (for a minute) in a dry pan and grind together with the other masala ingredients to a fine, creamy paste. Mix the oil leftover from frying the fish, into the masala paste.
- Heat the oil in a flat pan on medium heat and lightly fry the fish (2 minutes on each side) and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C and lightly grease the bottom of an oven-proof baking dish.
- Place the fish slices in the dish in a single layer and pour the masala over to cover all the pieces.
- Cover the dish with aluminium foil and bake for 20 min. Then continue to bake, uncovered for a further 10 min. Serve the fish with fried onions sprinkled on top.