சால மீன் வறுவல் / Sardine Fish Fry (Mathi / Chala Fry)

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Frankly speaking I
could never get a perfect recipe for
frying sardine fish. I know frying fish is one of the simplest thing you could
ever imagine. But each and everytime I make it, I find it is lacking something.
Sometimes I find it very bland, sometimes it gets stuck to the pan and fall
apart. But this was the time I got it perfect. The fish turned out perfectly
cooked, and had full of flavour. Everything came together beautifully.

The reason for this
is the marination and the way of cooking. I added all the spices and the oil in
the fish and left it to marinate. So you don’t need oil while frying the fish.
And also the fish is fried in a bed of curry leaves, which prevents it from
sticking as well as absorbs the flavour from the curry leaves. This is one of
the kicking recipe. I hope you will love this and let me know how it turned out
for you, if you try it..

Makes : 20 Pieces

Serves – 3 to 4

Ingredients:

Sardine Fish / Mathi
/ Chala Meen – 20

Curry leaves – 10
springs with the stem (Left Whole)

Turmeric powder /
Manjal podi – 1 tsp

Pepper Powder – 1
tsp

Chilli powder – 2
tsp

Salt to taste

Coconut Oil – 1/4
cup

Lemon Juice – 1
tblspn or to taste

For
Grinding:

Ginger – 1 inch
piece

Garlic – 6 cloves

Shallots / Sambar
Onion – 4

Method:

Clean the fish and
make some slashes in it.

Take ginger, garlic and shallot in a blender
and make into a rough puree.

Add in turmeric,
chilli, pepper powder, salt in to it and mix well.

Add in some lemon
juice, coconut oil and make into a paste.

Now add in the fish
and mix well with the masala. Let this marinate for 20-30 mins.

Now take a non stick
tawa. Arrange some curry leaves along with the stem over it. Place the fish
over the curry leaves and let it cook for 5 mins on one side. flip them over
and cook for another 5 mins on other
side.

Carefully remove
them from the pan along with the curry leaves and serve.

Pictorial: