Fish Rolls




Today's recipe comes from the land of Bengal, India. In West Bengal fish is a lifeline when it comes to food. There are so many varieties of fish available there that I can't explain you in words. With different varieties of fishes available in the market, comes many such varieties of dishes made out of fish. Today's recipe is perfect for any evening snacks, parties or together. Its name is Fish Rolls or Fish fingers. This recipe is very common among all the fish recipes all around the globe. Different countries have their special ways of making this recipe. In India, we make it with Indian spices. The balance of all the spices is necessary for this recipe. Sometimes fish has a very strong smell, so spices helps to override that fishy smell. There are many ways of making this recipe but this is my take on it.

In this recipe, I have used fish fillets of Basa also known as Pangasius in many countries. I have steamed and mashed it with Indian spices then added coriander and fresh mint leaves to it. For the binding, I have used breadcrumbs and cornstarch and one egg and added to the batter itself. Two things that make my recipe different is that there is no coating needed. You can fry as it is. And I have used white vinegar in this recipe. It gives a nice distinct flavour to the dish. Basa fish is low in calories thus making it a good choice for those who are on diet. But definitely, this recipe is not for diet conscious people.




So here is my recipe.

Preparation Time:- 10 minutes    Standing Time:- 15 minutes    Cooking Time:- 20 minutes   Total Time:- 45 minutes

Number of Servings:- 3 - 5 persons (Total 24  medium sized pieces)

Measurements:-
1 cup = 250 ml
½ cup = 125ml
1 tablespoon = 15 ml
1 teaspoon = 5 ml
½ teaspoon = 2.5 ml
¼ teaspoon = 1.25 ml

Ingredients:-
1) White Fish fillets:- 500grams (Any fish frozen or fresh of your choice, I have used Basa/Pangasius fillet)
2) Onions:- 1 medium (finely chopped)
3) Garlic:- 3 cloves (grated or chopped)
4) Ginger:- 1teaspoon (grated)
5) Coriander Leaves:- 2 tablespoons ( finely chopped)
6) Fresh Mint Leaves:- 9 - 12 (finely chopped)
7) Green Chilies:- 2 - 3 (optional, finely chopped)
8) Cornflour/ Potato starch:- ¼ cup
9) Bread Crumbs:- ¼ cup
10) Egg White:- 1 egg
11) Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder:- 1 teaspoon (non-spicy)
12) Hot Chilli Powder:- ½ teaspoon
13) Ajwain or Caraway Seeds:- ¼ teaspoon (If you don't get ajwain seeds then you can use thyme leaves)
14) White Pepper:- ¼ teaspoon
15) Garam Masala:- ½ teaspoon
16) White Vinegar:- 1 teaspoon
17) Refined Oil:- 1 teaspoon + for frying
18) Salt:- to taste

Method:-
1) Wash, dried and cut fish fillet into big pieces. Cook it in a microwave for 10 minutes over high power. ( You can also steam it if you want.) With a help of a fork mash it nicely. (Make sure you drain all the water from the fish.)





2) Now add salt, white pepper, hot red chilli powder and garam masala to it. Mix well so that all the spices are blended well with the fish. Keep it aside for 10 minutes. This will be your 1st marinate.




3) After 10 minutes add chopped onions, garlic, ginger, coriander leaves, mint leaves, caraway seeds, green chillies and white vinegar to the fish. Mix well.





4) Now add cornflour and bread crumbs to the fish. Mix it thoroughly. Add the Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1teaspoon of oil and egg white to it. Mix everything until a nice soft dough is formed. At this point check for seasoning.





5) Now divide the batter into 20 - 22 equal portions and give them a shape of your choice. Take one portion of the fish dough in your palm and give it a cylindrical shape.  Apply some oil in your palms if the batter sticks while giving shapes. Keep aside for 5 - 6 minutes.




6. Now heat enough oil in a pan for deep frying over medium heat. To check it is done or not take a small portion of the mix and drop it to the oil, if the fish comes floating up that means the oil is hot enough. With the help of a spatula add the fish rolls into the oil one by one. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry in batches. (Make sure that the oil is heated well otherwise all the fish rolls will stick to the bottom of the pan and will break.)




7. Take it out in a tissue paper or in a wire mesh. Try to use wire mesh as it will help the rolls to remain crispy.  Your fish rolls are ready.

8. For garnishing. take out in a dish and sprinkle some chaat masala over it. Serve with any salad or dips of your choice.

Note:-
* If you want to shallow fry the rolls, you can do it. It will taste as good as deep fried. But tastes best when deep fried.

*People living outside India, and not aware of all the Indian spices, and Chaat Masala, you will mostly get all the spices in the Indian stores near your place. 




Serving Tip:- Goes very well with your cocktails along with salads, dips and ketchup of your choice.


Do try my recipe and leave for comments below. Till then Happy Cooking.!


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