Peppery Fish Manchurian

Background In One Minute

Indo-Chinese Manchurian dishes are some of my favorite. This one is slightly different in taste because of the peppery spice mix. The combination of red chili, black peppercorn, and coriander gives a wonderful flavor to the crispy battered fish. But don’t worry, you can always use less of it if you are worried about it becoming too spicy.

Though Fish Manchurian can be eaten as a full meal, served over rice or stir fried noodles, it can also be a hearty appetizer. So, impress your guests at your next socially distanced gathering by whipping out this flavor packed treat that goes perfectly with an ice cold beer or chilled glass of wine. Whether you’re serving this as the main dish or as an appetizer, try this recipe out for its unique Indo-Chinese taste!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs tilapia
• 1 large white onion finely chopped
• 4 scallions, greens only sliced thinly
• 1 red bell pepper sliced thinly and cut into 1” pieces
• 10 grape tomatoes chopped (or equivalent in Roma)
• 1-2 green chilies diced (reduce or omit to taste)
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp dark soy
• 1 tsp sweet soy
• ½ lemon
• kosher salt (to taste)
• oil

For the Spice Mix

• 1 ½ tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 red chilies

For the Batter

• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup fine cornmeal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg beaten
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp turbinado sugar
• 1 tsp spice mix
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 cup water

Instructions

1. First wash and pat dry the fish. Cut the fish into 1 ½” pieces and set aside.
2. Then, lightly toast the spices for the spice mix. Let cool completely before grinding to a powder.
3. Next, stir together all the ingredients for the batter. Once the batter is ready, add the pieces of fish and gently combine so all the pieces are well coated. Set this aside while you heat your pan.
   
4. Pour about ½ cup of oil in a pan and heat. Once hot enough, fry the battered fish in batches. Set the fried fish on a paper towel covered plate, as you finish frying the rest. Add more oil as necessary. 
   
   
5. Once all the fish has been fried, check to see if there is enough oil left in the pan to coat the bottom. If so, add in the green chilies (optional), onions, garlic and ginger with ½ tsp of kosher salt. Stir and cook until onions become golden.
6. Then, push the onions to the sides of the pan and add about 1 tbsp of oil in the middle. Add the red peppers and let sit in the middle of the pan undisturbed for a minute so that it slightly chars. Stir and cook the peppers, then stir to combine with the onions.
7. Next, add about 1 tsp of the spice mix (reduce if you want it less spicy,) the dark and sweet soy sauces, kosher salt, and the chopped grape tomatoes. Stir and cook for a minute. 
   
   
8. Once the flavors have combined, add in the thinly sliced scallions and the battered fish. Gently toss to coat the fish with the onion and pepper mixture. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the fish and serve over rice or with stir fried noodles. 
   
   

Veda Sankaran 

Recipe Developer - Owner Jalsa By Veda

Veda is an Indian American mom, wife, teacher, and business woman living in Pittsburgh. Her professional background is in education, but she developed a love of food after 20+ years of cooking for her family. She cooks traditional Indian food, and her strength lies in creativity. She can take spices and flavors of Indian cuisine and use them to create new and unique recipes. Through constant recipe development and creating menus for local pop up dinners in Pittsburgh, she gives reigns to her creativity to use food as a medium for exploring the many facets of identity.

Find her on instagram @jalsabyveda