Fish Tawa Fry

Fish Tawa (Pan) fry is the most delicious part of a meal in Tulunadu region. This Mangalorean style dish is made by shallow frying the fish in Tawa masala. The fish tawa fry is a heavenly mingling of flavorful spicy paste along with soft fish which makes it a special experience to savor. 

The masala is made using betki and kashmiri chilly with curry leaves and other spices. This tawa fry masala is versatile to be used to make dishes like Pomfret tawa fry, chicken tawa fry, prawns tawa fry and Surmai tawa fry. The  masala can be stored in a deep freezer for more than 30 days to prepare Fish fry at your convenience. 

Ingredients for Fish Tawa Fry

 1 cup Betki chilly whole

 1/2 cup Kashmiri chilly whole

 2 teaspoon coriander seeds

 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

 7 – 8 garlic cloves

 1 inch ginger root

 10 – 12 Curry leaves

 1 teaspoon tamarind pulp

Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Cooking oil

Process to prepare Fish Tawa Fry

1. Remove stems from the chilly and roast both betki and kashmiri chilli in a pan over medium flame for 2 minutes. 
2. Let the chillies cool down completely and mix cumin seeds, coriander seeds, curry leaves, garlic cloves, ginger and grated coconut.
3. Grind them into a fine paste using little water. This is the Tawa fry masala. 
4. Clean the Pomfret after removing Fins & Tail and cut it into 5 – 6 pieces. 
5. Heat oil in a pan and fry curry leaves. Then pour the Tawa fry masala and cook for 2 minutes. 
6. Pour half cup water and mix with the masala. 
7. Now add the pomfret pieces into the masala and gently stir on slow to medium flame. 
8. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the tamarind pulp. 
9. Cook till the masala becomes dry, well coated with the pieces and fish is cooked. 
10. Serve the fish with a sprinkle of coriander leaves.

See below video for a variant of this recipe – Pomfret Ghee roast in Kundapur Style.

For more such local recipes of the region check out this collection.