Author Notes: A street food staple, Amritsari Macchi is a famous fish fry from the Northern Indian town of Punjab. This recipe, a lighter, more home cook-friendly version of the iconic dish, comes from my family’s guesthouse. —Shirin Bhandari
Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Ingredients
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1
pound white and firm fish cut into fillets (sole, catfish etc.)
-
2
tablespoons vinegar
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2
tablespoons lemon juice
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1
teaspoon grated ginger
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1
teaspoon crushed garlic
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1
teaspoon red chili powder
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1/2
teaspoon turmeric powder
-
1
or 2 pinches salt and pepper, to taste
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2
tablespoons besan (chickpea flour)
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2
tablespoons flour
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1/2
teaspoon caraway seeds
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1
teaspoon chopped cilantro
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1-2
pieces chopped green chili
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1
piece egg
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2
cups or more neutral oil for deep frying
Directions
- Marinate fish in a bowl with salt, pepper, ginger, garlic, red chili powder, turmeric together with the vinegar and lemon juice for at least 30 minutes.
- For the batter, combine the flour and besan, caraway seeds, chopped cilantro, and chilies. Whisk in one egg until smooth. Add a few spoons of water to loosen the batter if necessary.
- Add marinated fish and coat each piece lightly in batter.
- Heat oil and carefully add fish one at a time. Deep fry until evenly brown and crisp for about 5 minutes depending on the size of the fillets.
- Drain excess oil on a paper towel. Serve hot with lemon wedges and mint and coriander chutney. Namaste!

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Photo by Julia Gartland

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Photo by Shirin Bhandari
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