Short Cut Fish Patia & Dhun Dal

Dilnaz posts a Busybee commentary on Parsi food and whets my appetite for all the listed bhonu, a comprehensive list of beloved foods. Busybee, a Bombay literary icon, published chronicles of life he saw, through comedic written vignettes. The Gourmet Navroze article is a paean to all foods Parsi. If you should be so fortunate to sample their panoply of culinary fare you count yourself among the lucky ones. I yearn for dhansak, patra ni macchi, sali boti, saas ni macchi and a myriad other specials, but I settle on an easy to make fish patia.

Short cuts abound here as time and talents speak volumes. Oh yes...the Time and Talents Club Cookbook as well. This is a compendium of recipes compiled by a group of Parsi women.  I take my cue from these stalwarts. They would hold cooking demonstrations at their meetings, incorporating relevant recipes into future publications. Mum has a couple of recipes of hers printed in there as well.  I use a recipe that has been faithfully copied by my Dad to assist me in my kitchen adventures as a new bride. There are a host of Parsi cookbooks but this one is by far my favorite.

As I aforementioned, I take a few shortcuts. It starts with boneless codfish, as traditional recipes use pomfret slices. Fish tastes best when cooked with bones, but the convenience of boneless cod is a no brainer for me. I do not spend time soaking red chiles in hot water to soften them into a blended puree. A quick paste comes together with red chile powder, paprika and ground garlic. Using powdered masalas allows me to start on patia prep in a jiffy. Skinned tomatoes, vinegar and the fish blend into an onion masala gravy. The right accompaniment to patia is dhun dal. Pigeon peas or toor dal is cooked, whisked smooth and tempered with garlic and cumin. A mound of fluffy white rice is topped with a ladleful of dal, which is in turn topped with liberally with fish patia. I fry papad and we are off to the races!


SHORT CUT FISH PATIA & DHUN DAL 
Adapted from Time & Talents Club Cookbook
Serves 4

Fish  Patia
1 pound boneless Fish like Cod or Tilapia
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric 
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
3 tablespoons Canola Oil
2 large Onions
1 teaspoon Chile powder
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Cumin powder
3 teaspoons Garlic paste
4 large Tomatoes
2 tablespoons Vinegar
2 teaspoons Sugar
Cilantro
Fried Onions

Dhun Dal
3/4 cup Toor Dal or Pigeon Peas
Pinch of Asafoetida or Hing
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 tablespoon Canola Oil
6 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds



Start the dal by soaking toor dal in water for 1/2 hour. 

Place dal in a deep saucepan, add hing and turmeric  to dal. Top dal with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. When it boils, lower flame, cover and cook for 1/2 hour till done. Stir dal often, adding more water if necessary. 

Alternately, cook the dal in a pressure cooker. No need for soaking the dal. Rinse dal well till water is clear. Put the dal to the pressure cooker. Add hing and turmeric to dal. Pour 3 cups water into dal. The water should cover the dal up to 1/2 inch. Follow pressure cooker instruction and cook for 8 minutes. 

Whisk dal till smooth. Season with salt and keep warm. The dal should be thick and not runny.

Make the fish patia by cutting the fish into 2 inch pieces. Wash fish well and pat dry. 

Season fish with turmeric and salt. Mix with your hands so fish is well coated. Keep aside till needed.

Chop onions finely.

Mix chile powder, cumin powder and garlic paste.

Blanch tomatoes to remove skin. Cut into small dice. (You don't have to remove tomatoes skins but the gravy tastes much better without them)

Heat canola oil in a deep saucepan.

Add chopped onions and fry till light brown. 

Add masala to onions and saute on a low flame for 3-5 minutes.

Raise the flame to medium high and add chopped tomatoes. Saute till tomatoes have dissolved into gravy. This takes about 5-7 minutes. 

Add vinegar and sugar to gravy. Stir well.

Slip fish pieces into gravy. Cover and cook fish for 5 minutes.

Finish the dal by adding a tarka. Heat oil in a small pan. When it is hot add cumin seeds and sliced garlic. Cook till seeds are dark brown and garlic is golden. Pour the oil into the cooked dal. 

Uncover saucepan, top with fresh cilantro and serve with dhun dal and rice.

How to eat Fish Patia

Top rice with a helping of dal. Top dal with a piece of fish and some gravy. Cilantro and fried onions add taste and texture. Fry some papad and you have a complete meal.

When I travel to Bombay Dilnaz brings me patra ni macchi and brain cutlets. Benaaz treats me to khatta meetha cutlets, dhansak with kofta pullao, and sali boti at Kings.  My taste buds and belly are eternally grateful to their generosity and friendship. And to Mum and Dad for the jubilee edition of the Parsi cookbook. Busybee wrote lovingly of his favorites, but my friends bring that foodlove to my table.

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