Friday, September 2, 2011

Patra-Ni-Macchi

Curry-Palooza #6


Camille of Croque-Camille chose the recipe for this month's Curry-Palooza. She picked Patra-Ni-Macha from the lovely blog, Quick Indian Cooking.

We loved this dish! However, I admit I strayed from the given recipe because it called for an entire bunch of cilantro. And I just don't enjoy that herb. I used parsley instead. And because parsley is so much more subtle in flavor, I searched out some other recipes for the same dish. As a result, I added 6 cloves of garlic rather than 3. I also added 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger, 1 teaspoon toasted and ground cumin, and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar to the chutney paste. 

I also saw mention of brushing ghee onto the delicate banana leaves to help keep them from splitting.  I thought  that was a good idea, because the banana leaves are very fragile.  And so I did.


Wash the fish and cut into serving sized pieces, as desired. Cut a piece of banana leaf-those things are huge--into a size that will gift wrap your piece of fish.  You don't need to secure them, just place them seam side down onto a steamer pan. 



Banana Leaf Wrapped Fish



The Color Changes After Steaming


Enjoy with rice, lemon wedges, tomato, and cucumber.

I love this monthly Curry-Palooza event. Not only am I learning more about Indian cookery, I am learning more about the varying cultures within India. Last month's dish was a Bengali dish, and this one is a signature dish of the Parsi peoples in Mumbai. I have been taking some time to learn what that means. I think it is important to understand the beliefs and customs of other cultures. Now, more than ever. Do you?

One of the co-founders of our little group, Grapefruit of Needful Things, couldn't cook along with us this month. Here are the other posts:



I see that Indian Cuisine is gaining in popularity, so I hope you will consider cooking along with us. Just let any of us know and you're in. No cliques here. And you will even get to choose a recipe! 



3 comments:

  1. I couldn't believe how much cilantro and mint was used... My food processor was full to the brim. I really enjoyed the dish also, I think the recipe is so versatile. Making the banana leaf parcels was fun and your fish looks moist and delicious. Looking forward to CurryPalooza for next month. So many curries to explore!

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  2. I agree, it's very interesting to learn about the different regional cooking styles within India. Love the before-and-after photos of the banana leaf parcels!

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  3. Love your photos. Now I really regret missing this challenge! I guess I'll have to cook fish this week ;-)

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