Palm Sized Pomfret (Manji) Masala Fry.

"Palm Sized Pomfret (Manji) Masala Fry" ... Delicious crisp fried small sized manji/ pomfret fish that tastes awesome served as fried dish with dalitoy- rice along with any other dishes or as a starter with some raw onions or cabbage/ carrot slices along with a dash of lime and spice ... truly a delight for fish lovers ... Yummilicious ...

** These are very small manji/ pomfret the size smaller than ones palm. So, I thought of frying it whole which to date I had not tried as I often buy them in larger size. I bought these from a small fish vendor who was sitting quietly in the corner of fish market, I just peeped in to see what fish he was selling and he was more than happy to sell them to me as he wanted to leave home soon, so both of us ended being happy.  

** Here is my simple method for preparation of "Palm Sized Pomfret (Manji) Masala Fry" ... my very own method, my style ....

** Clean and trim of the fins and tail etc. of the 4 small sized manjji/ pomfret's. Remove the scales also if any. Give a slit from the top side so that you can reach in to clean and clear the stomach from the head side. Give two gashes on both the sides of the pomfret and clean them in plenty of water till they turn out shining clean, do not however scrub much or you will just tear or spoil the fish as we need to retain them whole in one piece.

** Make a thick paste : out of 1 tblsp kashmiri red chilly powder (mirchi powder/ mirsange pitti), 1 tsp coriander (dhania/ kothambari) powder, ½ tsp ginger (adrak/ alle') powder, 1 tsp fennel (sauf/ badisep) powder, ½ tsp turmeric (haldi) powder, ¼ tsp of hing (asfoetida) powder, 1 tblsp vinegar or ½ tsp tamarind (chinchama/ imly) paste and salt (meeta/ namak) to taste. Sprinkle some water if necessary, but see to it that the paste remains very thick.

** Apply the paste liberally to the pomfret's, taking care to see that you apply the masala inside the gashes and the cleared and cleaned stomach portion too. Apply masala similarly to all 4 pomfret's/ manji and if any paste is remaining, just apply them all over the fish pieces and then put them in a air tight tin and put it in the fridge for marinating for about 2-3 hours or overnight. You can increase the quantity of chilly powder if desired. 

** Before you need to fry the fish, remove them from fridge at least about 15-20 minutes before frying. Make a combination of fine (chiroti) rava and coarse rice powder in the ratio of 1:1 along with a little bit of salt and chilly powder for dusting of the fish. Now just roll the fish on the prepared mixture seeing to it that it evenly coats the fish all over the fish properly, pressing it in properly and remove the excess by tapping it through sides. 

** For frying the fish ... heat plenty of oil in a thick deep frying kadai or a shallow pan, you can use non stick pan if desired which helps in cutting down of consumption of oil too. When smoking hot, lower the heat to medium and wait for 5-7 minutes before you gently slide in the dusted manji/ pomfret into the hot oil. Let the fish fry in hot oil turning once or twice gently till evenly browned and crispy on all sides, remember to keep the heat on medium. 

** Depending on the size of the pan/ kadai you may add the number of manji/ pomfret for frying each time. Once evenly crisp fried, gently remove and place them on an absorbent paper for the excess oil to drain off. Continue with the remaining required number of fish to be required for frying till all are done. Always fry fish just before serving as they somehow turn limp and lose out on taste when kept overtime aside and served later.

** "Palm Sized Pomfret (Manji) Masala Fry" is done and ready to be served. It is always desirable to serve to them hot from tava or the least within 30 minutes for best taste. You can serve them along with other dishes for lunch/ dinner or as a starter when you are having a get together or party at home. When serving as starter arrange them on with some finely sliced onions to which a dash of lime and salt has been added.