Nilgiris Fish fry (Badaga cuisine)

The Badagas are an indigenous people inhabiting the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, southern India. During my recent trip to the Nilgiris, I ate some local dishes of the badaga people. One of them is the Nilgiris Fish Fry, which is normally made using fish Sea Bass or any fish which you can get nice fillets, like big black pomfrets, or Salmon.

I have used fillets of Black pomfret in this recipe.

In this preparation there are 2 pastes, one for marination and the other for frying.  
Thanks to Chef Joseph of Taj Savoy Ooty and his team, who gave me some details of this recipe, with which I was able to recreate it.
Do try making this at home, its very easy to make and am sure you will like it.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Fillet of fish - 10 pieces

Oil - 2 tbsp for frying

For marination paste mix together:

lime juice - 1 tbsp

Haldi/Asafoetida - 1 tsp

Ginger paste - 1 tbsp

Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

For frying paste grind together:

Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch

Mint leaves - 10-15 leaves

Ginger - 1 inch

Garlic - 8 flakes

Green chilly - 5 

Method:

Marinate the fish pieces with the marination paste and keep in the refrigerator for atleast 30 mins.

Now take a heavy bottomed shallow frying pan, keep on low heat add oil and add 1/2 the quantity of the frying paste into the pan and fry for 1-2 mins till the raw aroma has gone. Now slowly keep the marinated fish pieces on the pan, and fry for 2-3 mins on one side. Now turn, add rest of the frying paste on all sides of the fish and fry for 3-5 mins more till the fish pieces are cooked and flaky.

Serve hot.