The AMEX ‘Be Inspired‘ Masterclass with Vivek Singh showed step-by-step how to make Fish and Chips with an Indian twist for the London Restaurant Festival’s BritDish event. Vivek’s spiced halibut, mustard mushy peas and tandoori potato wedges turns the old fish and chip classic into a dinner party dish. Read more about the Masterclass with Vivek at the Cinnamon Kitchen.
Ingredients:
For the marinade
500g halibut fillet cut into four equal sized portions
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp salt
The juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp red chilli powder
For the batter
4tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp gram flour
1 tbsp rice flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder
The juice of a whole lemon
½ tsp carom seeds
½ tsp black onion seeds
¼ tsp ground garam masala
½ inch of ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
50ml sparkling water
For mustard mushy peas
2 cups green peas, shelled
1 inch ginger, scraped and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 green chillies
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
1 ½ tbsp mustard oil
Juice from half a lime
For the kachumbar
½ cucumber, cored and cut into ¼ inch dices
1 red onion, peeled and cut into ¼ inch dices
1 tomato, de-seeded and cut into ¼ inch dices
3 tbsp capers
2 tsp chopped fresh coriander
2 tsp chives, finely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp chaat masala
For the tandoori potato wedges
4 medium Desiree potatoes, peeled and scooped
A pinch of salt
A pinch of turmeric
Oil for frying
For the filling
4 dried figs cut into ½ cm dices
50g paneer, grated
1 tbsp raisins
½ tablespoon cashew nuts, fried and crushed lightly
1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
½ teaspoon salt
Juice of ½ lim
Method:
Pat dry the halibut fillets and mix with the ginger and garlic paste, salt, red chilli and lemon juice and keep aside for 15 minutes.
Place the green peas with ginger, garlic, green chillies, salt, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of mustard oil in an electric blender and make a fine puree. Check the seasoning and finish with lime juice and fold in the rest of the mustard oil. Spread a sheet of cling film on a table and place a tablespoon of relish on it. Roll the film around the relish and twist from both ends to make a thin rod, about ½ inch in diameter. Make three more rods and transfer them into a deep freezer to set.
Trim the potatoes from all sides using a sharp knife to make them cylindrical in shape. Now, scoop out the inside part using a pointed peeler or knife to leave a shell, hollow from one side with ½ cm thick edges and bottom. Repeat the same for the other potatoes. Cut the trimmings into ½ cm dices and keep aside.
Heat the oil for frying in a deep frying pan at 150C and fry the potatoes for 6-8 minutes until they are golden brown and crispy. Remove and leave to drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle the salt and turmeric Now, fry the potato dices until they are golden brown. Drain and dry on kitchen paper.
To make the filling, mix all the ingredients with the fried potato dices and grated paneer, stuff the potato shells with them.
Pierce each piece of fish with a sharp skewer or filleting knife by passing it through the centre horizontally to make a small pocket. Take one rod out of the freezer, remove the cling film and push it firmly through the incision, all the way through. Repeat the same for the rest of the fish.
In a mixing bowl take all ingredients for the kachumbar and mix well to form a chunky emulsion.
Skewer the potato shells and cook them in a tandoor or alternatively, transfer them to a roasting tray, place in an oven preheated to 180°C and roast for 10 minutes.
Mix the ingredients for the batter together to a smooth and thick consistency. Set your fryer to 170º C. Dip the fish in the batter and fry till the fish is cooked and the batter is crisp, which should take about 4 – 5 minutes.
Cut each potato shell into 4 wedges and serve the fish hot with the caper kachumbar and tandoori potato wedges.