Food talk
Fusion fish

Pushpesh Pant brings a recipe from Port Blair which combines other familiar flavours

There was a time when the name Andaman struck terror in the heart. This was kaala paani — the dreaded penal island across dark waters that guaranteed only one-way passage to the convicts. The rustling sea breeze whistles devilishly ‘Abandon hope all you enter here’. Countless patriots, the best and brightest of their generation, perished here, their spirit unbroken and with Vande Mataram on their lips till the last breath.

But today Port Blair is among popular tourist destinations in the country. The Cellular Jail bears eloquent testimony to an era gone by. The demographic profile of these islands reflects an interesting blend. Many locals are descendents of freedom fighters deported from different regions of the mainland. They are no longer Punjabi, Bengali, Malayali, Bihari, Madrasi, Rajasthani or Pathan. Andaman has served as a unique melting pot.

People from Bengal and Kerala communicate with each other happily in Hindi. They also relish dishes alien to their own (traditional household) recipes. We discovered the many charms of post-tsunami kaala paani during a recent trip. It was a great relief to be liberated from the tyranny of tandoori tikka and udupi tiffin. We are sure that these tourist traps must be lurking somewhere but we are happy that their sight did not blight our pleasure. In a small roadside eatery, we found fish Nikobari on the menu. Intrigued by the name, we ordered it immediately. The base was Bengali, the gravy over- laden with coconut owed much to Kerala and the frying of the fish before it was drowned in the creamy sauce brought to mind elements of Amritsari macchi. Who doesn’t know that the north Indians dwelling far from the seaboard don’t actually like to taste fish. What must register on his or her palate is the familiar spice. A good dose of onion garlic ginger pastes provided strong evidence that a hand other than from Nicobar had wielded the ladle in the kitchen. Who are we to complain? The recipe aspires to rekindle nostalgia and local mystique. It is well worth a try. Jai Hind.

FISH NIKOBARI

Ingredients
Fish (preferably boneless bekti/
surmai cut in large chunks) 1 kg
Onion-garlic paste 2 tbsp
Ginger paste 1 tsp
Grated coconut
(desiccated may be used instead) 2 tbsp
Whole red chillies
(soaked in water and ground to paste) two
Bay leaf one
Haldi powder ½ tsp
Dhania powder 1 tsp
Jeera powder 1 tsp
Coconut milk
(thick extract/fresh or reconstituted from powder) ½ cup
Green chillies
(chopped for garnish) two
Oil to deep fry fish and stir fry the masala
Salt to taste

Method
Heat oil in a karahi. When it reaches smoking point, lower flame and fry fish pieces in batches till rich golden brown. Remove and place on kitchen towels to remove excess fat. Heat a little oil in a thick-bottomed pan and place the bay leaf in it. When it changes colour, add the onion garlic and ginger pastes and stir-fry on medium flame. When it changes colour to pink, add the chilli paste along with powdered spices dissolved in a little water to avoid burning. Continue stirring regularly. Add salt, reduce heat to low and carefully stir in the coconut milk ensuring it doesn’t curdle. You may add a little warm water to it. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Carefully place the fried fish and cook for five minutes or less till the gravy is of thick sauce like consistency. Garnish with green chillies and serve.

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