The Indian subcontinent · Volume 13, The Tandoor Wall, the Wagah Line and a Contested Butter Chicken
Amritsari and Lahori fish
Amritsar and Lahore
Illustration
- Time
- 8 hours 30
- Researched
- Researched from 83 sources in the brief
Freshwater fish, traditionally rohu, marinated in ginger, garlic, lemon and spice, coated in a besan batter distinctively flavoured with ajwain, and fried twice for a crust that shatters rather than merely browns. A Dawn Urdu food-history piece states the case for the "one Punjab" argument more directly than any other single source found in either country: Lahori fish developed among Punjabi communities living near rivers such as the Ravi, filtered down over time from Mughal court cooking; Amritsari fish uses freshwater rohu from the Beas specifically, the identical double-fry method, and the same green or tamarind chutneys, and the article states that both versions "enjoy equal popularity on both sides of the Wagah border." Romy Gill MBE, raised in West Bengal to Punjabi parents, notes fish was never an everyday Punjabi home dish, reserved for weddings and special occasions, a useful corrective against reading this as humble daily village food.
As tradition built it
Serves 4. About 30 minutes, plus marinating 6 to 8 hours.
Ingredients
- 400g firm white fish fillets
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp pomegranate seeds (anardana)
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp ginger
- 2 to 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 50g besan (gram flour)
- 3 tbsp rice flour
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ajwain seeds
- 75ml water
- as needed oil, for deep frying
Method
- Marinate the fish in the chilli, cumin, coriander, pomegranate seed, garlic, ginger and lemon juice, refrigerated 6 to 8 hours.
- Whisk the besan, rice flour, turmeric, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and ajwain with the water and, where used, egg, into a batter.
- Coat the marinated fish in the batter and fry a first time in hot oil, roughly 10 minutes, until cooked through and the coating is set.
- Cool the fish fully, close to room temperature, then fry a second time, 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and shattering-crisp.
What a modern chef changes
The two fries treated as two entirely separate jobs.
Rung 5
Method
- Cool the fish completely between fries, on a wire rack rather than paper, so steam escapes from both sides rather than softening the underside.
- Raise the oil temperature for the second fry specifically, hotter than the first, since the second fry's only job is colour and crackle, not cooking the interior further.
- Serve with ajwain named on the plate, not hidden in the batter alone, a small scatter of extra toasted seed at the table, honouring the spice Gill herself calls the dish's soul.