SHORSHE NARKOL BATA POMFRET

Going ahead with a non-vegetarian share today may not seem wise to some of my readers / friends.... there is a celebration in some parts of India, supposedly an all vegetarian day for them. Then, it is also not possible to keep everyone happy at the same time! If my friends are already on with some vegetarian shares that suits the occasion, I can go ahead with a non vegetarian share as good as this SHORSHE NARKOL BATA POMFRET without much of guilt. A vegetarian lunch over the weekend for a Bengali is as weird as S been seen on a lunch date with an alien who she is very fond of! She is fond of few other things, people..... so fond of that she even interferes in to their personal lives and say when did you start loving yellow this much? If you have loved it, know that it does not go well with a red contrast... a green or a blue contrast is a better option! No, they do not batter you with social media posts after that.... and we enjoy some fun moments together through messages. Though the husband scolds me for interfering in to people's lives, I assure him.... "trust me, I do not exercise it on everyone but only on them who do not make an issue out of anything and everything."..... I am comfortable with such people with whom I can be me, speak without mincing words, who do not suffer from an "I am the best" syndrome.... They do deserve some "maach-bhaat" from me today! 

Sharing a fish dish today is also not been wise to the Gujarati brother duo whose musical extravaganza I attended yesterday.... Amit & Anand Dhamelia.... they had been my colleagues for two years and I usually attend their programmes.... yet I cannot go ahead with a Dal Dhokli share today.... why? I recently have learnt, there is something called protocol..... this time between me and them.... there are many heads... pros and cons, regions and groups. I am not the person who will spend an inch of her thought on such silly matters.... I went, I sat alone, I met some friends, I enjoyed the show, I filled in my heart and came back home alone a little before midnight.... Yes, you read it right... "alone at midnight!"..... My present home that ensured me a hassle free life had to be kept closer today.... Pomfret is their favourite but not SHORSHE NARKOL BATA POMFRET. When did I say that the anti-national me forgot my roots! One lady  is absent from the scenario at present, does not mean that she will not scold me for blogging about a noodles pakora... "S, what you said and what you are doing does not match!".... Well, I have every right to justify myself.... "kabhi kabhi karni parti hai".... 

Coming to the brother duo, they eat & live Indian music.... Anyone in this island who are reading this ..... if you wish to take some music lessons [vocal or instrument] or book them for a programme.... please do contact their respective FaceBook pages in the same names.... Amit Dhamelia & Anand Hargovind Dhamelia.... Why did not I share it on my stream? Well, I do not have time to invite unnecessary complications in my life, I simply hate it! .... I am instead enjoying humming "Dil Khudgarz Hai, Fisla Hai Yeh Phir Haath Se".... I totally enjoy KK & James' numbers when I go for my walks! I remotely remember this Pritam Mukherjee and Anindya Chaterjee and the rest were in the same band initially and until Pritam chose Bollywood! I also remember, even before that how we cheered for Anindya... Upal and team, following them at every fest that took place in almost all the Kolkata based Universities, Colleges, Medical Colleges and the Science Colleges except for one Science College, do not even remember it hosted one or not!.... It was  my conscious decision but ! ... "Gate Crashing" is not a wise habit, I hate to be anyone's second thought either.... "har dil ko khudgarz honi hi chahiye".... Anyway, Anindya or Upal accepts it or not, we are still "Caledonians" ..... and a SHORSHE NARKOL BATA POMFRET "banta hai"..... well not all of us Caledonians eat fish!

Why I am even sharing something that the demon husband and his son loves? Yesterday, while he dropped me at the venue, I conveyed him a "sanctioned" flying kiss, instead of accepting it and before I could explain how Aamir Khan kissed his wife publicly, the moron husband shouted at me.... Wifeeee.... the next car will crush you under the wheel.... goooo! The wife decided on way back home to travel alone, even elope with anyone who offers! The silver streaks were visible in the dark more and there was no such offer, sigh!....... The disheartened but a wise self came back home.... "there is perhaps no one on earth who will clean me with so much care when I throw off after extreme nausea".... The entire Bollywood film & music industry is there to romance with!.... "ek SHORSHE NARKOL BATA POMFRET iss karan bhi banta hai"..... if I am not doing justice to some today, I will do it the next day with a dal paratha may be! I respect "relationships" which are not "superfluous" to me.... I am still in a kind of hangover, which I usually have after a musical fiesta ..... and I will go for an easy share today, then dive into music again and more of Bollywood..... like tomorrow we are going for Ajay Devgan's "Raid" and the ill health of Irfan Khan is bothering me.... we cannot afford to lose such top class actors this soon.... I do not usually miss any of his movies! 

Yesterday, a friend told me at the venue.... S.... your boy is having examinations and you are freaking around?.... I said had he been an obedient son, I would not have.... he is a rebel, so mumma lives her life! Yesterday came the latest blow, the father told me that the son now says he will study political administration and do politics.... Every attempt is made at this home to send me to a mental asylum.... Well.... if the son loves his mother so much in a way.... she can take an ice-bath to destress and cook his favourite pomfret with a simple but authentic spice mix of garlic, mustard, coconut and green chillies.... It is so common and simple that we do not need to take any stress while doing it. While I do it, may I recommend you a movie?.... Saif's urrf Chote Nawab's "Cocktail" .... it may explain certain real life stories.... no they do not end up Bollywood style... "all good and happy!".... I do not believe in the terms "romantic comedy"..... "no string attached relationships"..... the phrases hurt me till date as the tip of a knife held close.... So, I could not be or cannot be either with people who live their lives in such terms.... Let us live our lives in our own terms. 

Yes, my readers can blame me for taking life too seriously. I can gift you this fish curry with love for tolerating me, struggle to get viewers for it, admit my apathy towards constructive academics, and construing  life in terms of Bollywood! We had some Cabbage-Potato Sabzi and Bottlegourd-Dal too alongside! Ok, I indeed liked this preparation of pomfret after marinating the fish with lemon juice for one hour to get rid of any odour! The use of red chilli powder, lemon juice and garlic cloves.... all are used to get rid of any smell that a non-pomfret lover like me cannot take!

INGREDIENTS :

Pomfret : 5-7 [medium sized]
Shredded Coconut : 1/2 small cup
Mustard Seed : 1tbsp [black or yellow.... black is a tongue teaser]
Nigella Seed : 1/4tsp [kalonji]
Green Chilli : 4-6 [I am always generous, you choose]
Garlic Cloves : 2 [peeled]
Ice Cubes : 2-3 [they say it prevents the paste turning bitter besides salt, its true]
Salt :  As Required
Turmeric Powder : 1/4tsp + 1/3tsp
Lemon Juice : 4tbsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Oil : 4-5tbsp [We use mustard oil]

METHOD :

Clean the stomach of the pomfrets, hopefully your fish seller will do it for you! Wash them thoroughly.

Marinate with lemon juice and very little salt. Overdose of salt will totally spoil the taste... they are soft fish without scales.

After an hour, we will drain the marinade and wash them again. Rub with little salt, 1/3rd tsp turmeric powder and 1tsp red chilli powder! Keep aside for 15 minutes.

Wash the mustard seeds through a strainer. Take the washed mustard seeds and green chillies, de skinned and washed garlic cloves, the shredded coconut, little salt and the ice cubes in the grinder! Grind them to a smooth paste. Add little water if required!

Transfer to a bowl and add 1/4tsp turmeric powder!

Heat the oil in a wok and fry the fish pieces lightly discarding the water released after marination. Take out.

Temper same oil with nigella seeds. Add the chilli-mustard-coconut paste and stir for  1/2 a minute. Add water to the bowl and then to the wok. Add another bowl thereafter.

When the gravy boils, gently add the fried fish pieces.

Let cook at low heat till the gravy thickens!

At times, our weekend lunch platter is such... a SHORSHE NARKOL BATA POMFRET with steamed rice, a dal and a vegetarian sides.... fritters would have made the platter complete....