Singhara/Seenghala Fish Fry Masala Gravy Recipe (Guizza or River Catfish)

 Source: Roz Dhan ("The Flamboyant Chef")

Singhara/Seenghala Fish Fry Masala Gravy Recipe (Guizza or River Catfish)

credit: third party image reference

Preparation Time: 30 min

Cooking Time : 50-60 min

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg singhara fish
• 3-4 large onions finely chopped
• 1½ cups thick and sour youghurt/curd
• 3 cinnamon sticks (dalchini)
• 5-6 black peppercorns (kali mirch)
• 3-4 cloves (laung)
• 3-4 green cardamom (choti/hari elaichi)
• 2 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
• 2 star anise (badyaan ka phool/chakri phool)
• 2 bay leaves (tejpatta)
• 1 tsp whole cumin (jeera/zeera)
• pich of fenugreek seeds (methi daana)
• 1 tsp turmeric (haldi)
• 1 tbsp coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
• 1½ tbsp red chilly powder (lal mirch)
• 1 tsp cumin powder (jeera/zeera powder)
• 1 tsp garam masala powder (all spice powder)
• 2-3 chopped green chillies
• small bunch of finely chopped coriander leaves
• 3-4 lemons
• ½ cup gram flour/besan (for washing fish)
• 1 cup mustard oil
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Wash the pieces of fish 2-3 times with running water and after that with gram flour/besan, clean the fish with knife to get rid of any unwanted organs.
2. Squeeze extra water from fish pieces and keep in a refrigerator box, season with 3-4 lemon juices and some salt and keep the box with fish in the freezer preferably overnight or for 5-6 hours.
3. Remove from refrigeration 30-40 minutes before cooking, discard the water released from the fish pieces and also squeeze the pieces to remove all the juice of lemon.
4. In a kadhai or vessel heat mustard oil until smoking hot, add a pinch of fenugreek seeds(methi daana) and let it crackle in oil, do not burn.
5. Next add cumin seeds (jeera/zeera), cinnamon sticks (dalchini), pepper corns (kali mirch), cloves (laung), star anise (badyaan ka phool/chakri phool), green and black cardamom (choti and badi elaichi) and bay leaves (tej patta).
6. Saute the whole condiments until aromatic.
7. Add finely chopped onions and fry until it turns dark golden brown, do not burn but fry well.
8. 
   credit: third party image reference
9. Next add chopped green chillies with ginger garlic paste and saute to get rid of ginger garlic pastes raw smell
10. Furthermore, add turmeric powder (haldi powder), coriander powder (dhaniya powder), red chilly powder (lal mirch powder), and cumin powder (jeera/zeera powder). Don't add salt now.
11. Mix on low flame so that the masalas don't burn.
12. Beat yoghurt/curd in a separate bowl and add it in this masalas on low flame so that yoghurt doesn't curdle
13. Keep on mixing till the oil does not separate from the masala.
14. 
    credit: third party image reference
15. Now keep on adding 1 tbsp water each in the masala and mix. Doing this will enhance the taste in the gravy.
16. Meanwhile, in a frying pan heat mustard oil until smoking hot and fry the pieces of fish simultaneously from all the sides.
17. Furthermore, add salt in the gravy and add fried fish pieces and mix, lastly add a teaspoon of garam masala powder (all spice powder).
18. Keep a heating tawa or pan under the vessel of fish gravy on a low flame for 10-15 minutes and cover it.
19. Turn off the flame and garnish with chopped coriander.
20. Serve hot with roti/chapati or bhakri and some rice.

Tips:

1. Always purchase fresh fish from the market.
2. You can use any fish for this recipe, I have used Singhara/Seenghala.
3. Washing with besan (gram flour) and seasoning with lemon and salt for a few hours will help you to get rid of smell if any in the fish, but do not use the water released from it after removing from refrigeration.
4. Keep frying the masala while adding a tbsp of water each time and mix to enhance flavour.
5. Using mustard oil will improve the taste in gravy but its optional you can use any other oil.
6. Whenever you use mustard oil always heat till it becomes smoking hot and let the smoke release, if you don't do this step raw mustard oil will make the dish bitter.
7. After adding fish in the gravy mix lightly don't over mix or the fish pieces might break.
8. Keep it under indirect low heat under a tawa for some time and let it absorb flavor of the masalas in the fish.
9. Don't drink milk after eating fish for at least 2-3 hours.

Benefits of Fish:

• Fish is low in fat and high in protein and omega acids.
• Lowers risk of heart attack and strokes.
• Might boost brain health.
• Good for treating depression.
• High in Vitamin D.
• Protects vision and eyesight in old age.
• Singhara or Seenghala helps to cure sinusitis and cold.
• Help improve sleep quality.
• Delicious and easy to prepare.

-Thanks a lot for reading.

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