[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

... Painting molten butter with a brush to keep the surface moist and not let the skin of the fish char ...

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

... I know people coat a lot of butter even on the Tandooris and tikkas we eat, ...

Do it the Mediterranean way. Drizzle some olive oil over the fish. I have a small spray bottle, with which I spray olive oil.

I prefer steaming the fish (especially wrapped in banana leaf) without *any* oil, as compared to cooking in the microwave. Microwave dries the delicate flesh.

Marinate some seer fish steaks in a green masala (fresh coriander leaves, garlic, green chillies and lemon juice) for a couple of hours. Any longer and it literally cooks in the lemon juice. Wrap it in banana leaves, adding a bit of lemon grass. Put them on a plate in a pressure cooker - 3 whistles / 10 min. It comes out soft as butter.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Thanks Imran, but still, the most healthiest food (spinach) was "was sauteed with chopped onions and butter." which is what I want to avoid when eating Fish which already has a wonderful compelling taste to it.

You can try raw (baby) spinach. They taste quite good.
Just remember to wash it really well.
Soak it in slightly salty water for some 10-15 minutes.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Wrap it in banana leaves...in a pressure cooker - 3 whistles / 10 min. It comes out soft as butter.

Aah, the joys of having machher paturi, as only another Bong knows how! Why seer fish Sir? You would much prefer bhetki & ilish, I am sure! And a dash of shorshey baata (mustard paste) to the marinade would actually be perfect.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

... Why seer fish Sir? You would much prefer bhetki & ilish, I am sure! And a dash of shorshey baata (mustard paste) to the marinade would actually be perfect.

Seer fish steaks are a no-hassle, easily available option. Bhetki (Sea Bass) and Ilish (hilsa) are not available easily in this part of the country. I do get the whole Bhetki in Metro, but at 4.5Kgs at least, that's a bit too large for my freezer capacity .

And mustard paste is for special occasions. I keep trying other flavors all the time, especially Thai. If you can lay your hands on Thai Red/Green/Yellow curry paste (comes in 3.5" dia white plastic containers, available in Spar and other supermarkets), even Tom Yum soup paste, try using that with a dash of coconut milk as the marinate for steaming fish. Add some lime leaves and sliced green chillies. I am sure you will like the result.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Do it the Mediterranean way. Drizzle some olive oil over the fish. I have a small spray bottle, with which I spray olive oil.

I prefer steaming the fish (especially wrapped in banana leaf) without *any* oil, as compared to cooking in the microwave. Microwave dries the delicate flesh.

Thanks. For steaming, which is the best contraption if I am going to use it regularly. I saw this one here, there are many similar ones in the same site

Buy Russell Hobbs Food Steamer 2 Tray - RFS810 - Rice Cookers & Steamers | Snapdeal.com

Would you recommend that or is there a better way to steam veggies/fish etc ?

[archat68]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Thanks. For steaming, which is the best contraption if I am going to use it regularly. I saw this one here, there are many similar ones in the same site

Buy Russell Hobbs Food Steamer 2 Tray - RFS810 - Rice Cookers & Steamers | Snapdeal.com

Would you recommend that or is there a better way to steam veggies/fish etc ?

There are many steaming attachments available for the microwave. You can use that.
Or if you have a electric rice cooker that too can be used for steaming. I use mine in this way.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Thanks. For steaming, which is the best contraption if I am going to use it regularly. I saw this one here, there are many similar ones in the same site ...

These are the 'gentle' steamers - plenty available in stores like Croma or Reliance! They seldom take the food temperature to 100degC, as the vapors start condensing by the time it reaches the top-most container. Quite healthy, but does not really 'cook' the food - you can't make idlies in these. Veggies stay crunchy even after 30 minutes.

I prefer to use the good old pressure cooker. A pressure cooker without the weight will take the stuff you are steaming to at least 100degC - which is good enough to kill germs. If you want higher temperature, use the weight. Either use the idli stand, or improvise using whatever is at hand, starting with stainless steel plates and trivets!

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

drk_411, wonderful recipe, I WILL try it out very soon, thanks.

Looks super good, thanks to you and the recipe giver shankar. I made Chilly Pork tonight and as usual I overcooked the bell peppers and they have become a sort of gravy now, I wanted them dry and crisp, hopefully next time, if anyone knows a better way of making chilly/ pepper pork, please enlighten me.

r ?

That Pepper etc can be used as a garnish if you like. Just lightly flash singe them or sear them separately and add them in and they will be brilliant. You can actually do the chopped onion plus bell pepper plus one or two green chillies lightly seared and sort of stir them in. That way you get the wickedness of the pork and the crunchiness of the veggies.

[selfdrive]

ok, now I have to ask a very basic question. Where can I get reliable (read clean) pork in India? Where do you guys source it from, if its not a local vendor?

[esteem_lover]

Bangalore is heaven for pork, in my experience, plenty of good places. In chennai too, though there aren't many, there are some which are just awesome, real international class and variety. I don't have any idea about Pune, I am sure it must be much better than Chennai.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

ok, now I have to ask a very basic question. Where can I get reliable (read clean) pork in India? Where do you guys source it from, if its not a local vendor?

Also please tell me where can we get bacon in bangalore? I've eaten it only in Subway. I've heard bacon fries tastes really good and I'm interested in making it a breakfast staple. Also can someone advice on a recipe for fried bacon? Should it be in normal oil or butter?

Thanks

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Also please tell me where can we get bacon in bangalore? I've eaten it only in Subway. I've heard bacon fries tastes really good and I'm interested in making it a breakfast staple. Also can someone advice on a recipe for fried bacon? Should it be in normal oil or butter?

Thanks

For some of the best "fresh" bacon available here you should try Bamburies on Richmond Road, Frostys in Indira Nagar, Bangalore Ham Shop in MG Road.

For frozen bacon, buy keells from SPAR or HyperCity or even Nature's Basket and the GOURMET Shop OR even SORBET.

Fried bacon does taste great. There are two kinds of bacon available here in general - back bacon which has less fat in it and streaky bacon which is interspersed with white fat.

Dont add any oil or butter etc when you are frying bacon.

Best is to remove it from the freezer, remove the plastic outer coverings etc, place it in a micro wave proof covered dish and gently microwave it for about 45 seconds or so.

Then, decant it along with the residual water and so on into a regular frying pan, turn on the gas on low flame and simply cover the fry pan with a transparent lid.

Allow it to simmer-fry gently in its own juices and fats for around 7 to 10 minutes till the bacon becomes nice and crisp and red brown in colour.

Then pull it off the griddle, put it on a plate and serve hot at the table along with some nice squishy, milky scrambled eggs, a bit of cheese and some plain soft, fresh bakery bread. Regular fried eggs too, sunny side up, fried in groundnut oil OR in butter, are a darned good accompaniment to bacon.
Nothing goes quite so well as Bacon and Eggs!
Yummy!

Remember however that bacon is highly fattening and needs to be burnt off with lots of exercise.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Also please tell me where can we get bacon in bangalore? I've eaten it only in Subway.

I am not sure you get the real Bacon in Subways here in India. At least I have not seen it in Chennai. Their Ham and Bacon is all from Chicken.

@Shankar, are you sure you cook the Bacon for 7-10 minutes, because it is already pre cooked and all you have to do is heat it for a couple of mins in a tawa. If I leave it longer, it becomes hard and tough after getting fried in its own fat.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

... highly fattening and needs to be burnt off with lots of exercise.

Heheheheh easier said than done. If one is worried about fattening, one should avoid taking it!

It is better to take in moderation, and not spoil the enjoyment thinking about the calories.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

For some of the best "fresh" bacon available here you should try Bamburies on Richmond Road, Frostys in Indira Nagar, Bangalore Ham Shop in MG Road.

Remember however that bacon is highly fattening and needs to be burnt off with lots of exercise.

Oh wow thank you for the shop names and a mouth watering recipe. Its got me taste buds tingling. Fried eggs sunny side up with garlic bread is what I usually have everyday. Just wanted to try bacon too.

For fried bacon should I opt for fresh ones or frozen ones? Also will they taste good with pepper? Also will the fatty bacon taste good? Are these info like back bacon or steak bacon listed on the packaging or is there a way to identify them without opening the packaging.

And all the shops you mentioned in the fresh category do you mean like unpackaged fresh made bacon? How long can fresh bacon be kept in a home refrigerator? Like can I buy a months or a weeks supply at a time or do I need daily purchasing?

Thanks for being patient with my newbie like questions. I'm totally unfamiliar with this.

I once tried frying Salamis and sausages with butter and some pepper. It turned out very tasty surprisingly.
Also your earlier pork recipe was amazing and I'm looking for an opportunity to try that at home.

Thanks again for all that info.

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

I am not sure you get the real Bacon in Subways here in India. At least I have not seen it in Chennai. Their Ham and Bacon is all from Chicken.

Oh didnt realise that but I've eaten bacon from subways at many airports and it did look like bacon with a layer of fat. And tasted really great.

However one I tried in kolkata a week back tasted no different than chicken Salamis. So you maybe right here.

Reading through this thread I really wish for a bhpian picnic type meet where we can get to taste some of these amazing recipes. Reminds me of some of the picnics I've had in my childhood along river banks or tea gardens where we used to have simple breakfast with poached eggs, and fresh caught fish along with wild chickens for lunch. A nice game of football and cricket thrown in between and sometimes a refreshing swim in the fresh waters.

The cooks from forest department were amazing. I think they used to have wooden utensils(iirc) and cooking done on charcoal fires.

Ah those days of childhood where are they gone now. These days its only go for a trip and eat at hotels. All the joy of the outdoors is hardly there anymore.

Sorry if I went OT.