Macher tikki (Fish tikki)

These days are rainy. A time, when I crave for Kolkata street food. And macher chop was what I was craving for. The Rohu fish flavored with simple spices is nestled inside a delicious mashed potato wrap. The whole thing is then coated with breadcrumbs and fried to get the glorious golden. The crust crunches into the melting softness of potatoes and fish. The nuts and raisins give a hint of sweetness to balance the green chili peppers. Accompanied with chutneys and sauces, it is perfect for the rainy evenings to munch on. Away from Bengal, without those street side shacks, if I am to have macher chop, I very well have to make it on my own. So one afternoon, I was all set to satisfy my palate.  Rohu was replaced by Carp. And I decided to incorporate a healthy twist (I was a bit lazy). I did not wish to have the potato mash coating. And, Instead of deep frying them, I pan fried the fish patties. Hence was born macher tikki from the chop. Ghee used as the frying medium brought richness to the flavors and added aroma. The sweetness of onions and raisins, the heat from ginger and chilies, the crunch of the nuts, all brought together to make the coldish rainy evening delicious!

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Makes 10)

600g Carp fish (or any sweet water fish)

2 onions

2 inch ginger

5-6 cloves garlic

3-4 green chilies

1/2sp turmeric

1sp coriander powder

1sp cumin powder

1sp garam masala powder

25g roasted peanut

25g raisins

Ghee

METHOD:

1.      Boil the fish in salted water. Debone. Mash well and keep aside to let it cool.

2.      Chop the onion, ginger and garlic roughly.

3.      Heat ghee in a wok. Add onion, ginger, and garlic. When it softens, add turmeric, cumin and coriander powder. Fry until golden brown.

4.      Blend the fried onion, ginger, garlic and green chilies in a smooth paste.

5.      Chop roughly the peanuts and raisins.

6.      In the heated wok used for frying, mix uniformly the fish, onion-ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, peanuts and raisins. Let it cool a bit.

7.      Divide into 10 equal portions and form patties.

8.      Pan-fry the patties using ghee.

9.      Serve hot with ketchup and chutneys.