gini's fish recipe with a twist

Gini's blog was one of the very first that I started visiting regularly. Her blog has some of the most innovative recipes, all accompanied by detailed steps and the loveliest photographs. I'd never had, let alone cooked, anything like her fish with baby fenugreek leaves. So I set about trying to replicate her recipe in my kitchen. But as luck would have it, for the longest time, I couldn't lay my hands on the three main ingredients: pomfret, fenugreek leaves and time. However last Sunday, I'd had enough and simply decided to go ahead and improvise with what I had at hand. Thanks Gini!

So I had to substitute fenugreek leaves with baby red spinach leaves. And instead of frying the fish whole, I made fillets.

What to take:

for the fish

1 large pomfret, cleaned and filleted into four
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoons chilli powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
salt to taste
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Combine the turmeric, chilli and coriander powders and salt. Add just enough water to make a thick paste. Smear the paste all over the fish fillets and marinate for an hour.

for the spinach

3 cups of chopped baby red spinach
1 small onion diced
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

How to make:

Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan. Shallow fry the fish fillets till they turn golden brown. Set aside.
In another pan, heat one tablespoon oil and add the mustard seeds.
When the mustard seeds start to crackle, add the onion and curry leaves.
Stir in the chilli, turmeric and garam masala powders when the onions turn soft.
Once the raw smell of the sices disappears, add the chopped spinach leaves and cook covered for about eight minutes.
When the spinach leaves start to reduce to a paste, add half a cup of water, and cook covered for another three minutes.
Slide in the fried fish fillets to the thick gravy and stir gently so that the gravy coats the fish.
Serve hot as a side with steamed rice.