Macchi No Ras (Fish in light aromatic gravy)

Macchi No Ras (Fish in light aromatic gravy)

This delicately flavored dish is made quite often in Parsee houses. Its best had with plain steamed rice, but then again when I'm in the mood for bread instead of rice, I sop up the 'ras' (gravy in Parsee lingo) with chunks of pau (bread).

Ingredients:

4 slices fish (i've used Surmai-Kingfish)

3 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
20 curry leaves

4-6 green chilies, finely chopped
6 teaspoons garlic, crushed or very finely chopped

6-6½ teaspoons rice flour
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, coarsely ground

½ bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped

Salt, to taste

6 tablespoons oil

Method:

1. Heat oil, add curry leaves and allow to splutter. 
2. Add onions, green chilies, saute till soft and translucent pink.
3. Add the crushed garlic, coarsely ground cumin seeds and sauté.
4. Cook for a couple of minutes and add the rice flour.
5. Sauté well for another two minutes.
6. Add 600-650 mils water and bring to a boil. 
7. Add salt to taste.
8. Carefully place the fish in the boiling gravy for 6 to 7 minutes (You may need to boil the fish for a shorter time if you are using smaller pieces of fish)
9. When fish is cooked, add chopped coriander leaves and give it a gentle stir or lift the vessel and give it a gentle shake to ensure the coriander spreads out evenly in the gravy. Serve hot with plain steamed rice.

Chef Notes:

1. Feel free to use any fish for this dish. Prawns too work beautifully in this gravy.
2. I had once substituted the rice flour with all purpose flour/maida, and most people wouldn't mind doing it, but having had both, i would definitely prefer to go with rice flour. I found all purpose flour/maida to be a tad heavy on the palate.
3. Please don’t overcook the fish. It should be light and perfectly flaky when you poke a fork into it. 
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