Muji gaad or machhli mooli as commonly known is a very special regional specialty from Kashmir. This delicacy from Kashmiri Pundit cuisine is also hugely popular during winters.
MUJI GAAD
Ingredients
800 gms fresh water fish
400 gms white radish
half cup yoghurt
2 tsp salt
2 1/2 turmeric powder
20 ml lemon juice
100 ml mutard oil – 100 ml
4 tsp Kashmiri chilli
powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida
2 no bay leaf
8 nos cloves
5 green cardamoms
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp back cumin powder
1 tsp gnger powder
3 tsp fennel powder
1/4 tsp black peppe powder
30 gm tamarind pulp
Oil (for deep frying)
Method
Clean and cut the fish into small pieces on the bone. Wash and pat dry with kitchen towel. Marinate the fish in one teaspoon of salt, turmeric powder and lemon juice. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Peel and cut radish (mooli) into 1 1/2 inch thick roundels. Prick with a fork and keep aside. Soak the tamarind in warm water (approximately 1 cup) for 30 minutes. Mash it with hands and extract the pulp. Strain and keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadhai. Deep fry the fish till crisp and well browned and then fry the radish till golden.
Remove from oil and keep aside on a kitchen towel to drain excess oil.
Now heat the mustard oil to the smoke point, lower the flame and then add green cardamom, cloves and bay leaf.
Mix kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric powder and asafoetida powder with yoghurt and add to the crackling spices in kadhai stirring continuously.
Then add 1 cup of warm water and bring to a boil. Add salt, fennel powder, ginger powder and tamarind extract. Mix well.
Add the fried fish and fried radish to the gravy, cover with a lid and simmer on slow flame till the gravy has reduced to half its quantity.
Finish with cumin powder and cinnamon powder. Serve warm with steamed basmati rice.
As the Corporate Chef of Golden Tulip Hotels, Vaneet Wadhera is responsible for opening of new hotels and its food and beverage avenues for Golden Tulip Hotels across the country. Chef Vaneet recently won the Silver Hat Chef Award at the 11th Annual Chef Awards organised by Indian Culinary Forum (ICF) held earlier this month.
