Wednesday 10 January 2018

FISH ALOO BITES


I have not taken any stepwise pictures for this appetiser FISH ALOO BITES! Such dishes keep  happening in our home.... sweet home ..... only that I do not take pictures always..... At times I prepare appetisers from some remains.... when the refrigerator requires a spring cleaning. These FISH ALOO BITES are made of such ingredients like a little of fish fillets, carrots, green pea, onion, few spices and our universal potato..... Somedays I do not at all put much of effort in the kitchen, may prepare some easy-peasy starters and enjoy with some handmade breads or a pulao by the sides.The last two days I was busy assembling and sharing the family album of our recent tour, observe the reactions of some as much as possible with the limited amount of grey matter I have.... I meant how far people can go with their insensitivity.... then took no effort to remove few from the so called friend's list. Who are those people?.... 

Well people who think I have made the biggest mistake of not giving birth to a girl child, they find it difficult to wish my pride on his  birthday, but adorns their daughter in most cases in dresses matching to this island's flag and post just when I have posted few pictures of my men which I do yearly once or twice may be..... I am busy promoting "myself" rest of the time haha..... Anyways, I felt a strong urge to eliminate such elements from my list.... it is at some of these characters' times of emergency did I fund a bit without a second thought.... it hurts.... when it hurts, I prefer to remove. So, I was in a cleaning spree though not thoroughly.... there are still some who I am strongly unwilling to remain connected in social forums, unable to be stern in some particular cases.... but we can always avoid. 

Haven't I grew up watching two women protecting their kids like a tigress? I keep on telling our mother that the only difference between you and the "another woman" is that.... her kids listened to every word of her and your daughter did not and obviously lacked their brain ... haha.... Our mother at least was / is a saree aficionado, wore lipstick, nail polish..... I have never seen that "another woman" wearing anything beyond a cotton, never wore a lipstick or a nail polish..... each penny, every dream of her revolved around the betterment of her kids.... to feel that you need not wake up together every morning... you just know. I watched everything from a distance, how does it matter if I am not in the list of her most loved people? In the home front, isn't it for my little brother that I can live peacefully in a far off place? .... Off course his wife is a contributor! With the senior's sister too taking utmost care of her parents, life should be good.... If you ask me do you apply on your son what you have learnt from the two ladies..... then you are truly a stranger to us.... the junior went after his father ..... he decides for himself.... this character trait off course is my maa-in-law's contribution! 

Why did I write all those rubbish above?.... Well you should always consider having more than one kid in your life, it helps .... some dear / dearest people around do not have any.... I will definitely not go ahead with a 'you... me... and my kid' kind of post today.... its for all! Most of us love kids, we must without any prejudice or discrimination.... but deep within your heart.... you must take utmost pride in yours.... always.... We will not hurt other's sentiment as long as they are not hurting mine! I am my mother's and that "another woman's" prototype ..... I cannot think beyond this!.... I never claim to be a wise person!..... but more or less an honest cook and can treat you with such an awesome starter / appetiser / snack called FISH ALOO BITES!

Fish is a staple in any Bengali home.... you bet after returning home from any tour.... I much crave for our kind of fish curry.... this is not the case for my men who may be planning for a deer meat or snake meat on their next trip. I am our mother's daughter and still remember after returning from a vacation, how she ran to the wet market... got some "shorputi or aar" and prepare an authentic curry with"dhonepata bata, sheem, mulo, begun".... Indeed I watched that Bengali movie with a 'fishy tale' and was giggling looking at the "bori-begun diye rui / katlar jhol".... I found similar few of the dialogues... our mother still says "amra kena bori khaina".... or when my senior says "katla r kachey rui kichui na"..... The problem is I do not get that authentic taste in the curries made with fresh water fish coming from the neighbouring countries, its better to have a snapper, salmon or the universal shrimp... I however cannot have sea fish, prawns I enjoy! If the Senior and the Junior is happy, the lady has to be happy.... 

Even the people of Bengal with an authentic taste bud says the fish markets of Kolkata are flooded with fish from the "bheri" or from other states, we hardly get "khal bil nodi pukurer mach" these days. I do prepare them keeping a meat dish, vegetarian dish like kofta for the son, click pictures too.... shall go ahead in a good time..... If one Anindya Chaterjee goes ahead with my dearest contemporary Bengali author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay's "Monojder Adbhoot Bari" for his next venture, we have to go ahead with a "kheer kodom or chal potol" too.... as of now I have to think about the lovely people who came and have shown some love to my family album.... with or without much of calculation.... I mean they understood that it is not possible to wear winter clothes in a tropical beach or request an unknown teen to be in the frame just for the sake of a match-match game.... is it ever possible to remember who wore what when.... that too with my men who will not listen at all which clothes to wear and when..... I am an idiot and dumbo but what goes around in the social forums is sheer madness ..... It feels depressive to realise that I have become a part of it.... too unwillingly.... Some may not have a spouse, while others may not have a kid... do I / we stop featuring in the social media for that or should they stop? ...... 

I do not like people taking too much interest in my family matters that refers to my brother, cousins, sister-in-laws, brother-in-laws.... Tomorrow if I kiss their sister-in-law or brother-in-law leaving them, they are going to kick me out! If it is food.... it should be the recipe that should concern us.... if it is someone's picture, how graceful they look in the attire should matter.... I do not understand how a family with a girl child can have a boy in their frame and vice versa...... I mean if they are self centric like me and prefer family tour / time. The world should  not be brainless like me.... if the man at home says I hate those social forums, I cannot blame him.... one of his dearest someone in Mumbai also says... S, I indeed have a Facebook profile with no picture or post... haha.... The best way to keep all these complications at bay is to do what you love.... In my case it is to share this recipe of non vegetarian fish appetiser / snack FISH ALOO BITES with you all. It requires few ingredients that are always in your pantry and is quick to do. It is crisp, yum... such a pleasure at every bite that you will love it even if you are not a fish lover.


INGREDIENTS :

Any Firm White Fish Fillet : 300-350gm [boiled with little salt and roughly mashed]
Carrot : 1medium sized [cut in to small cubes]
Green Pea : 1/2small cup
Potato : 2medium [peeled, washed, boiled and mashed]
Onion : 1big[peeled, washed, roughly chopped]
Cumin Seed : 1/4tsp
Black Pepper Corn : 10-12
Fennel Seed : 11/2tsp
Dry Red Chilli : 2-3
Coriander Leaves : 2tbsp[chopped]
Turmeric powder : 1/4tsp
Lemon juice : 2-3tbsp
Cornflour : 1tbsp
Salt : As Required
Oil : 2tbsp + 2tbsp

METHOD :

Dry roast the fennel seeds, black pepper corns and the dry red chillies, grind to a coarse powder.

Wash the carrot cubes, green peas and rub with a little of salt. Heat the oil in a wok and temper with the cumin seeds.

Add the chopped onion and fry till light brown. Add the carrot cubes, green peas and stir fry at medium heat for 2 minutes.

Add the boiled and mashed fish, turmeric powder and stir cook for a minute or so. Add the boiled potato and fold in very well. Keep stirring continuously for 3-4 minutes.

Add the coarsely ground powder, lemon juice, chopped coriander leaves and fold in very well. Stir for 2 minutes and add the cornflour. Add salt if required. Fold in well and take down. Let cool.

Once cool, make into desired shapes. Heat 2tbsp oil in a pan, arrange the fish tikkis atop. Let cook till one side is brown. Turn over and let cook till brown.






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