Meen Varuval (Fish Fry)

As I was brought up in a coastal area, precisely in Pondicherry, a small paradise which overlooks the Bay of Bengal, seafood has always been a major part of our regular meals and we used to have fish in particular, at least 3 or 4 days a week.

I love fish fries with Curd Rice (reminds me of my childhood days when we used to go to Velangani for excursions, a place located on the Coromandel coast, in Tamil Nadu. I remember, though the trip was meant to be a religious tour (as the place has a Catholic Church dedicated to "Our Lady of Health" ) my sister & I, were truly devoted to the Curd Rice and hot fried fish they serve in the restaurants facing the sea. Am I right Eli? :)  As this part of the country is very hot, we used to love the soothing curd rice along with these fresh fish fries and each time we went there, we awaited this eating moment eagerly. Hmmmmmmm, that was pure heaven!! Treasurable souvenirs of the wonderful days back in India........

As you might already know, whatever fish you buy, pick up the ones with a shiny skin, stretched tight and springy to touch, with a firm flesh and with dark uniform gills and the eyes should be well bulged. This is a quick and simple way of relishing the fine and delicate flavour of the fish (I' ve used Silver Hake, a mild-flavoured, flaky and moist salt water fish ).

Ingredients:
1 kg fish
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp chilly powder
2 tbsp corn flour
150 ml lime juice
salt
1 tsp garlic paste
500ml oil

Method:
Prepare the fish (Remove the scales and the gills; Make a cut from the gills to the vent and remove the entrails. Rinse the cavity well. Wash the fish inside and outside in fresh cold water. Pat dry with a kitchen towel. Chop into two or 3 pieces ) if you want it whole, then skip the above and make deep slits on both sides of the fish.

In a wide bowl, add the lime juice, salt, turmeric powder, cumin powder, chilly powder and the garlic paste . Mix well to make a paste. Correct the taste if necessary.
Take a piece of fish at a time and apply the prepared paste all over the fish pieces. Cover with a plastic food wrapper and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Just before frying the fish, toss all the pieces gently in the corn flour and fry in preheated oil on medium flame for about 5 minutes each side until crispy and brown. (Adjust the cooking time according to the thickness of the fish pieces) Once the fish is properly fried, Remove and place it on a power towel to remove the excess fat. Serve it hot. Enjoy!!!

PS: Reduce or increase the ingredients (chilly powder) according to your tastes.