Lahori Fried Fish
The Lahori winter-street classic: river fish (rohu, pomfret or any firm white) coated in a spiced gram-flour batter and shallow-fried until shatter-crisp. Sold on the Old City pavements; eaten with chaat masala, lemon and a green chutney.
Overview
Firm white fish is scored, rubbed with a spice paste of ginger-garlic, Kashmiri chilli, ajwain (carom), turmeric and lemon, and rested for ½ hour. A separate gram-flour batter (besan, rice flour, ajwain and a pinch of bicarb for crispness) is whisked to a thick coating consistency. Each fillet is dipped in the batter and shallow-fried in mustard oil until the crust deep-gold-crackles. Eaten with a heavy dusting of chaat masala and a squeeze of lemon.
Ingredients
Fish
- 600 g firm white fish fillets (rohu, pomfret, hake, pollock or sea bream; cut into 4 cm chunks)
- 2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds; or fennel seeds)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 lemon (juice)
- 1 tablespoon mustard oil (for the marinade; smoke it first)
Batter
- 100 g gram flour (besan)
- 40 g rice flour
- 1 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder (for crispness)
- 150-180 ml cold water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
To cook
- 400 ml mustard oil (or vegetable oil), for shallow-frying
To serve
- 2 teaspoons Chaat Masala
- Lemon wedges
- Sliced red onion
- Green chutney (mint-coriander-yogurt)
Method
Stage 1 - Prep the mustard oil
- Heat the marinade tablespoon of mustard oil in a small pan until just smoking.
- Pull from the heat (this knocks back the raw pungency).
- Cool.
Stage 2 - Marinate the fish
- Combine the ginger-garlic, Kashmiri chilli, turmeric, ajwain, cumin, salt, lemon juice and cooled mustard oil into a paste.
- Rub the paste over the fish pieces.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Stage 3 - Make the batter
- In a bowl, whisk the gram flour, rice flour, ajwain, Kashmiri chilli, turmeric, salt and baking powder.
- Add 150 ml of cold water and the lemon juice; whisk to a smooth, thick coating batter (it should drop slowly off a spoon, the consistency of double cream).
- Add another 30 ml of water if needed.
Stage 4 - Fry
- Heat the frying oil in a wide pan to 175°C (a piece of batter dropped in should rise to the surface immediately and sizzle).
- Dip each fish piece in the batter, letting the excess drip back.
- Lower into the oil (fry in batches; don't overcrowd).
- Fry for 3-4 minutes a side until the crust is deep golden and shatter-crisp.
- Lift onto a rack (paper soaks the underside and goes soggy).
Stage 5 - Serve
- Dust the hot fish with chaat masala.
- Pile onto a plate with lemon wedges and sliced onion.
- Serve with green chutney for dipping.
Notes
- Smoke the mustard oil: Raw mustard oil has a bitter, sharp flavour. Heating it to the smoke point and cooling knocks the rawness back to a clean, warming pungency.
- Rice flour for crunch: A small amount of rice flour in the batter is what gives Lahori fried fish its signature shatter; pure besan batter is dense.
- 180°C is the target: Cooler oil gives an oil-logged crust. Hotter and the batter browns before the fish cooks through.
Storage
- Best within 20 minutes of frying.
- Doesn't refrigerate or freeze well.
More like this
Lahori Beef Boti Kebab
Beef tenderloin or fillet is cut into 3 cm cubes and marinated in two stages. A first short rub with raw papaya, ginger-garlic, salt and a splash of vinegar tenderises the meat (papaya enzymes break down the muscle fibre). After 30 minutes the second marinade goes in: yogurt, Kashmiri chilli, garam masala, kasuri methi, mustard oil and a touch of besan. The beef sits for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight. Threaded onto skewers and grilled hot until charred at the edges; the inside should stay pink and juicy.
Lahori Chapli Kebab
Minced beef is mixed with crushed coriander seed, anardana (pomegranate seed) for sourness, finely chopped onion, green chilli, ginger and a generous handful of chopped fresh coriander. Egg, gram flour and a small amount of cornflour bind the mixture loosely. The patties are pressed paper-thin (chapli means slipper, after the shape) and shallow-fried hot in beef fat or oil until the edges crisp and the centre stays juicy.
Lahori Chargha
A whole chicken is slashed to the bone and rubbed with a yogurt-based marinade thick with chaat masala, Kashmiri chilli, garam masala, ginger-garlic paste and a splash of vinegar. After at least 4 hours in the fridge, the bird is steamed over a deep tray of water for 30 minutes to cook through. Once dried briefly, it's deep-fried in hot oil until the skin shatters and the flesh stays juicy. The two-stage cook is the signature; only a deep-fry could leave a Lahori chargha undercooked at the bone, only a steam could give it the colour.
Lahori Mutton Karahi
Bone-in lamb is browned in ghee with a small handful of whole spices, then ginger-garlic paste and tomato are added in two stages: first chopped, to break down into a base sauce, then sliced, to give texture at the end. The dish cooks uncovered the entire time, which is what defines Lahori karahi (the gravy reduces by half and concentrates). Green chilli, fresh ginger and coriander finish; a tablespoon of butter or ghee makes the slick on top.