Tandoori Pomfret on a Stove Top
TANDOORI POMFRET… the dish for someone who loves tandoori food. Indian tandoori dishes are extremely popular. You will almost never find a good North Indian restaurant not boasting of atleast one tandoori dish in its menu. Tandoori fish and tandoori chicken are one of the most sought-after Indian dishes in my culinary classes as well, and tandoori pomfret gets a fair share of the attention. But some of my students do not have grill or an oven: Hong Kong home kitchens are quite small and thus, many don’t prefer buying too many gadgets because of the dearth of space! Ideally, I would prefer all my tandoori dishes to be cooked on a grill, but when one of the participants in my classes requested me to do Tandoori Pomfret on gas-stove, I decided to go ahead with the idea.
This time, I used a special non-stick pan for this. I used Risoli die cast aluminium pan (click here to see how it looks like), which worked wonderfully. I used very little butter and the grilling was even. The fish was succulent from inside and crisp from outside. And the best part of this dish is that the cooking is complete in just 15 minutes! Back in my home in Mumbai in 2004, when I just got married and didn’t own an oven, I had grilled some of my favourite tandoori dishes in a plain iron tava and it never disappointed me either!
Before sharing the recipe with you, I would like to thank all those bloggers who have awarded Cosmopolitan Currymania with The Versatile Blogger Award in the past few weeks! Thank you Skinny Simple Recipes, Blessings from my Kitchen and The Lady 8 Home. These three blogs are truly amazing and have a treasure trove of recipes. Please do visit their blogs, these ladies are wonderful cooks and bakers and you’ll absolutely love their recipes!
Tandoori Pomfret on a Stove Top
[Select medium-sized, plump and fresh pomfrets for this recipe. The oven method is also provided at the end. Chat masala is available in any Indian provisional store. If not available, make your own Tandoori Khatta Masala by mixing 1 tbsp of rock salt, 1 tbsp of dried raw mango powder (aamchur) and 1 tsp of ground black pepper.]
Ingredients:
- Whole pomfrets: 2
- Ginger paste: 2.5 tsp
- Garlic paste: 2 tsp
- Onion paste: 2 tsp
- Black pepper (freshly and finely ground): 1 tsp
- Cumin roasted and ground: 1 tsp
- Carom seeds (ajwain): ½ tsp
- Yogurt: ¾ cup
- Egg: 1
- Lemon juice: 2.5 tbsp
- Garam masala powder: ½ tsp
- Gram flour (besan): 2 tbsp
- Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
- Melted butter: 1.5 tsp
- Food colour (orange): a few drops
- Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Chat masala to taste
Method:
Remove the fins and gills from the fish. Make incisions and deodourize the fish using salt and lemon juice all over. Set aside for twenty minutes. Drain and pat dry.
Mix together the onion-ginger-garlic paste, carom seeds, yogurt, egg, gram flour, roasted cumin powder, black pepper powder, red chilli powder, food colour, turmeric powder and garam masala powder. Rub this tandoori marinade over the fish and marinate for about one hour.
Heat the pan. Add half the butter and spread it all over. When butter is hot, slowly slide the fish into the pan. After 5 min, turn the fish and add the rest of the butter along the side of the fish.
After 5 min, all the butter would be absorbed/dried up. Grill for 5 min on the pan, or till the fish gets slightly burnt on the both sides. (While flipping the fish, extra care should be taken to prevent the tear or sticking of the fish skin to the pan. For this, use a flat spoon and slowly loosen the fish from the pan by inserting it under the fish and loosening the fish from all directions.)
Serve hot with lemon wedges and onion rings and sprinkle chat masala. Serve with coriander-mint chutney.
Oven Method
Instead of using the pan, preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Oil and wipe the skewers. Thread the fish onto skewers and grill in the preheated oven for about 5 min. Brush with butter and cook for another 5 min.
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July 15, 2012 @ 5:42 pm
What a nice idea! I usually do tandoori dishes on a grill outside (or sometimes under the broiler inside), but it never occurred to me to do it on the stovetop. Excellent method, super recipe – thank you.
July 15, 2012 @ 6:01 pm
Brilliant! That is a perfectly cooked fish – anything you CAN’T do? Wish I was your student….
July 15, 2012 @ 7:05 pm
Very delicious pomfret,yummy!!
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July 16, 2012 @ 2:45 am
This is a gorgeous dish. I must try this one. I love fish, could eat it every day.
July 16, 2012 @ 3:45 am
Tempting pomfret…yummm
July 16, 2012 @ 3:54 am
This looks SO, SO GOOD! I’m not familiar with carom seeds, but you can bet I’ll be keeping an eye out for them. I love finding new flavors. Your seasoning is always incredible!
July 16, 2012 @ 4:12 am
Wow..Purabi,you are torturing me with these delicious grilled pomfrets..Truly yummy.And nice clicks.
July 16, 2012 @ 7:03 am
This marinade sounds delicious! Wonderful recipe. Thank you for sharing, Purabi, and have a great week! And congratulations on the awards – they are well deserved 🙂
July 16, 2012 @ 7:48 am
Wow..Grilled pomfret looks soft and yummy.
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July 16, 2012 @ 9:33 am
hi purabi, this is interesting- cook on stove. love the marinade and bookmarked with thanks. have a nice day
July 16, 2012 @ 10:42 am
Hi Purabi naha ,
tandoori pomfret looks AAAwesome !!!
Keep on Dear…
http://www.southindiafoodrecipes.blogspot.in
July 16, 2012 @ 1:09 pm
Ok dear, u’ve got my attention with this dish of yours! Lovely! May I join u??
July 16, 2012 @ 4:01 pm
Purabi, I love your cooking tips throughout your recipes. The idea of using salt and lemon juice during prep is an invaluable aid to me — simple and smart! I don’t have a grill pan (yet!) but the one you used looks like it delivers that “outdoor” effect. Very yummy looking dish! Congrats on your awards, too — way to go!
July 16, 2012 @ 4:53 pm
It looks and sounds so flavorful and delicious.
July 16, 2012 @ 5:43 pm
This sounds amazing, and what a great variation to tandoori cooking!
July 16, 2012 @ 7:58 pm
very interesting and delicious fish recipe 🙂 Thanx a lot for stopping by my space Purabi 🙂
July 17, 2012 @ 7:16 am
I’ve never cooked or had Tandoori flavor fish! This is new to me and I got already excited to try it out. I think my kids prefer fish, and it’s easier to eat too. I love this recipe! I should use my cast iron for this. =D
July 17, 2012 @ 11:30 am
I’ve had tandoori chicken before, but never fish. It looks fantastic. I also agree that the grill is the best way to go, if possible.
July 17, 2012 @ 7:12 pm
Una verdadera exquisitez me encanta luce colorida y tentadora,tiene una hermosa cocina,hugs,hugs.
July 17, 2012 @ 8:03 pm
You have a great blog. I just shared it here 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/foodbloggersindia
love
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July 17, 2012 @ 9:05 pm
I love a good tandoori dish–what might work in place of the pomfret?
July 18, 2012 @ 4:59 am
Thanks for this great idea of another fish dish..because i have run out of idea when cooking fish..
July 18, 2012 @ 11:54 am
What a beautiful dish! You instructions are superb.
July 28, 2012 @ 1:17 pm
Thank you so much for sharing this! I love all Indian cuisine and it’s a pleasure learning a new technique and dish. Looks scrumptious!
May 28, 2013 @ 4:15 pm
I almost always grill fish in this fashion. Quick, simple and easy. The pompret looks sensational Purabi!!! Yummmmmm!!!
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