Ashay Chitre off the sets of Mandi
Ashay Chitre was, photographer, painter, actor, was an enigma wrapped in a conundrum.....
Son of renowned poet and Author Dilip Chitre, Aashay died young. He was part of the Gupte family, his grandmother Vimal Chitre was Vimal Gupte before her marriage to poet Baburao Chitre ( Abhiruchi fame). Both Baburao and Vimal were litterateurs and were revered figures of the Marathi literary circles.
A multifaceted personality, Ashay was also a great cook.
Aashay Chitre’s
Traditional Fish Biryani
Compiled with the help of his mother Viju Chitre
Ingredients:
2 types of fish" 1. Big fish: Pomfret or Surmai (5 or 6 medium pieces) (cut in pieces) Marinade with (1/2 tbsp garlic paste) garlic paste turmeric salt and lemon. (Juice of 1/2 lemon) 2. Prawns (deveined) (1/2 kilo) add red chilli powder (1 ¼ tspn or as per taste) salt (as per taste) and (1/2 paste tbsp garlic paste).
Basmati or Delhi Rice 4 cups (I Kilo), A few almonds and cashews, 2 large onions (cut lengthwise and dried), A small bunch of corriander
Masala:
For green masala: Grind: Coriander (1 medium bunch), green chillies (4medium or 6medium), fresh coconut (1/2 cup) (can be avoided for people with cholesterol) lemon (1 medium) or tamarind paste (2bsp) ½ tbsp garlic paste).
For red masala: Grind: Tomatoes (4 / 6 Large tomatoes), (1/2 tbs) garlic paste, red chillies (med 5 to 6) and (2 tbsp) red chilli powder or as per taste.
Kewara water optional (Adds aroma)
Dried Onions (2 big onions) (dried and then deep fried golden not dark brown (as they taste bitter)
Steps:
1. Shallow fry the fish. Keep it aside.
2. Prepare the green curry:
Heat 2 to 3 tbsps of oil and put the green ground masala. Add a little turmeric and salt and stir fry to ensure the coconut is cooked. Then add the fish pieces to and a little water to make a thick boiling curry. Cook for another five to 7 minutes.
3. Prepare the red curry:
Heat 2 to 3 tbsp of oil and add the red ground masala; add a little turmeric and salt and (1/2 tsp) . Bring it to boil add the prawns; boil for 7 to 8 mins. Ensure the tomatoes are cooked.
4, Rice.
Wash and drain basmati/Delhi rice. Add lemon juice and salt and leave to stand.
Add 3 to 4 garam masala cloves, cinnamon 1 ¼ inch, bay leaves 2 medium sized and 3 to 4 green cardamoms. Add water to the rice and boil it till it is nearly done. It should be a little undercooked as it is going to be cooked in the steam with the fish. Don’t overcook it or it will get lumpy. When the rice is done start layering:
Add ghee or vegetable oil at the bottom of the vessel.
Put a little curry at the bottom. Then put a layer of green curry, put a layer of rice, place two or three fish pieces as per layers, sprinkle a little curry on it. Remember the direction of the fish. Add a thin layer of rice, sprinkle some fried onions and fried cashew and almonds sliced .
Next add a layer of red curry making sure to put some prawns in it, again sprinkle a little curry. Again put a layer of rice repeat this with onions and fried nuts alternating the colours.
At the end there should be rice layer with onions and fried nuts.
Add a little kevada to water and put it in a katori and embed half the katori in the rice.
Seal the lid with kneaded dough of wheat flour.
Cook on mild fire, you can put a tawa underneath. (Throw the kewada water when the biryani is ready to serve)
Serve hot with a cabbage salad or sliced tomato and cucumbers or potato salad.
Remember the position how you had laid the big fish so you don’t break the fish piece whilst serving. Serve a slice with a piece of the big fish and red curry with rice and fried onions and nuts.
Note: Remember the fish cooks fast and we already have shallow fried it, and it will break if we overcook it.
Tip: You can mark the kneaded the dough to know the position of the fish.
Cabbage salad:
Ingredients:
Cabbage (1 med size)
2/3 green chillies
3 to four kadipatta leaves
A pinch of hing.
A small tspn of jeera
A small tspn of mustard seeds
2 tbsp lemon juice.
Finely cut the cabbage, chillies and kadipatta leaves.
Temper the green chillies and kadipatta in hot oil( 1 tbsp) with a pinch of hing, jeera , mustard seeds and a pinch of turmeric. When jeera and mustard seeds start spluttering add them to the shredded cabbage mixed with lemon juice and salt.
Note: Usually we throw away the kadipatta whilst eating, since kadipatta is good for your health if you slice it finely and mix with the chillies it gets eaten.
Potato Salad:
Boil some potatoes. Peel and cut them into cubes.
Add some salt, finely cut coriander and green chillies, pomegranate, chat masala or jeera powder and add with a little lemon juice.
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