Hindustan Times
Guts and glory in Nandgaon
A drive down the Konkan coast turns into delicious challenge of wits
I was traveling down a sylvan coastal road down the Konkan coast last week when I saw the little roadside fish market. It was run by loud, cheerful fisherwomen, bejeweled and dressed in the Maharashtrian navvari saree — tucked between their legs.
I was traveling with my family to my friend’s new holiday home, built on a lush hillside in Nandgaon, a charming town that is a 50-min catamaran ride from Mumbai to Mandwa and a 90-minute drive south of the Mandwa jetty.
As we wove through coconut groves and red-tiled villages, we just had to stop when we repeatedly drove past these bustling impromtu fish markets.
The glorious view of Nandgaon bay and beach from my friend's house
“Stop, stop,” I said. So, we did.
As soon as the women realised I was interested in a reasonable amount of fish—we had to feed eight adults and three kids—I was the man to know. Prices fluctuated, voices were raised, and squabbles began for my custom.
Tiger prawns, bought fresh off the roadside. Marinated in lime juice, red chilli and turmeric and reluctantly displayed by my niece Nandita.
I won’t bore you with the details, but I came away with two whole surmais (kingfish), six white pomfrets and about a kg of king prawns. I thought I had a good deal for Rs 1,600, but the wife and cousin snorted, saying I had clearly been cheated.
Now waitaminit. The fisherwomen never use scales and fish are sold individually, but I estimated the same haul in Delhi, or even Mumbai, would cost three times as much (the kingfish together were about 3 kg, I reckon). In any case, I didn’t see anyone from my family except my father-in-law beside me when I was negotiating the price.
Honestly, long-distance critics.
Anyway, pursued by two fisherwomen who waved more fish at me (there was squid, baby shark and much more) at ever-declining prices, I retreated to the car. The airconditioning was hastily switched off and the windows rolled down—it was evident we had fish in the car.
It was then I realised these were whole fish. I have cooked fish for nearly two decades but never gutted and cleaned one.
Gutting and cleaning the surmai wasn't very difficult, even with a small, inadequate knife. There's nothing quite like fresh fish
It didn’t help matters when I found the grand, new house and its breezy open kitchen had only small knives. Oh well. I got to work, and an hour later, I am proud to say, I had managed to clean and gut all the fish. I guess a long-dormant Goan instinct came alive.
After that, cooking the fish was a breeze. I fried some and made some into my basic, 10-minute curry. You can read the recipe here.
And that's the white pomfret, cleaned and ready to fry.
I am pleased to report that nothing matches the experience of eating super-fresh fish. It was quite glorious. I still have some cuts on my hands from gutting the fish.
It was worth it.
(4 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)
Loading ...Posted by Samar Halarnkar on Friday, October 23, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Filed under Food · Tagged fish, fish curry, hindustan times, konkon coast, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Nandgaon, super-fresh fish, sylvan coastal road
alrite maan enjoy and i feel like having fish in the evening too and some jzenga amti
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
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i m so so envious of the fresh fish and your awesome cooking skills !!!
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
fresh fish, yes. what awesome skills? it’s jhatka cooking–throwing it all together and hoping something emerges…
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It all sounds like a mouth watering stuff. I am sure, you guys must have had a great feast.
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
We did indeed. But cleaning the fish was tiring. I admire the fish wallahs who clean it with that knife stuck between their toes
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Is it “Nagaon” or “Nandgaon” ?
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Nandgaon
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fishy post but loved it,..;-)
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For one, the rates are truly fantastic. I would estimate that good tiger prawns (the size is phenomenal- almost as big as your niece) alone would cost 1600 a kilo in ND, three kilos of Surmai about 900/- atleast, and six white pomfrets atleast Rs. 500/- depending on the size (but if that’s just one fish in that vessel atleast 1200/- for the six). I’m speaking of INA rates. In short, a damned good deal!
Since I’ve spent sometime in Mangalore, I can tell you that rates don’t vary all that much from coastal to non-coastal areas.
Strangely enough, I’ve been having this urge to have some nice matthi fish. The Mathi (sardines) fish curry with lots of onion and tomatoes goes very well with Rice rotis. Ever tried it?
You did’nt say anything about the holiday though. was it good?
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
I looooooove sardines. Grew up eating them. Somehow people tend to look down on them these days.
I will pass on your comments on the deal to all those who raised their eyebrows in my family.
The holiday was wonderful.
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woooww…srsly nothing like fresh fish..
!
Last week itself, I had some amazingly fresh fish…the most fresh i ever had and the taste was divine
and cleaning a fish..i have done it once and never understodd what the big fuss was abt..coz i found it to be quite easy!
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
C’mon, fork over some recipes
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Chinz Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
sure,,.here is one that i use ..easy to make n great on the taste…
its great!
make a paste of fresh coriander, green chillies, black pepper, garlics, 1 spoon white vinegar / lime juice, salt, turmeric..
marinate the fish in this paste for good 2 hrs..the coat with rawa…then shallow fry in a pan till golden brown…and have it hot with sliced onion mixed with salt & vinegar/lime juice.
If you do not want the oil/fat calories..then simply..grease the pan..spread banana leave on it..put the fish on top of it..spread it on the banana leaf..close the lid and let it get steamed cook. This is v healthy fish minus all the fry oil
tastewise the oil fried fish taste best 
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
WOW! thank you.
Yes yes I am getting better knives, Samar! And what do you mean - “friend”!
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Ads Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
I quite agree.. blood… family blood not fish.. is thicker than water.. heh heh…
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Er, umm. Okay. That was actually my sister’s house everyone (she married my friend). I was just trying obfuscate the family connection, but my sisters are not people to be obfuscated
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Why isnt there a pic of me ?????
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Ads Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
I agree Tara.. harass him !!
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Because you were moaning and whining. Do what your sister did and I will take the photo
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Karan Reply:
November 1st, 2009 at 11:36 am
I agree too. There are 2 pics of me.
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Samar, you say you gutted, scaled, sliced and cooked…..the fish????? poor things!!! …
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
They are proud to have been cooked at my hands
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We were told not to argue over the price of fish as it was men’s lives we were buying. (The North Sea.)
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 9:57 am
I could not agree more.
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Samar! Here’s my mum’s recipe for a beautiful Bangda fry
3 big mackerels
Garlic- go nuts and add lots of it (I used 3 massive cloves)
Red chillies- 4 to 5
Tamarind paste- 5-7 tablespoons (make sure the paste is not runny but thick so it doesn’t fall off the fish)
Jeera (cumin)
Rawa for shallow frying
Blend the garlic, chillies, tamarind paste and jeera into a paste. Make slits in the skin of the mackerel and smear the paste all over the fish. Marinade for 5-6 hours if possible.
Before shallow frying the fish roll it in fine rawa to give it a crisp coating. Serve with sliced onion and lemon. Simple but divine!
I was thinking about your Konkan/Thai piece you wrote a while ago. I’m sure adding some red thai curry paste and a little fish sauce will give this recipe a lovely Thai twist!
I made this recently to try and recreate a bit of home in far away London. Have a look for photos!
http://bytwofiltercoffee.blogspot.com/2009/10/bangda-fry.html
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 10:03 am
pranav, these are fabulous ideas. The bangda recipe is most interesting, as are your Thai suggestions. Not so difficult to clean the bangda, was it?
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Pranav Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Yup, it was simple but as bangda is a bloody fish, haemoglobin flew in all directions. :-).
Will try your prawn recipe next time. Those prawns look simply divine! On a slightly different note, have you been to Novelty bakery in Jangpura? I was in Delhi recently and a friend of mine took me there for breakfast. Behind the bakery facade is a makeshift diner!!! It was brilliant and they make omelettes and the most amazing ham sandwiches with gorgeous mint chutney.
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
What?? No, I haven’t yet. I must make the trip to Jangpura
Pranav Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Yeah it’s worth it. It’s really obscure and I was told it has a cult following
http://delhi.khojguru.com/novelty-dairy-and-stores-jangpura-extension_3bx7j?ref=search-normal
Managed to track down the address. Have the lovely cold coffee as well!
Brijesh Kalappa Reply:
November 4th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I suppose you would’nt know of the outstanding tuna sandwich they make too..
Local Delhi recipe with very slight alteration.
Medium size local river water fish
green chillies 8 -10 (according to to the taste) finely chopped
garlic 6 - 7 leaves finely chopped
heeng powder ( a pinch)
lemon 1/2
coriander a few twigs very finely chopped
garam masala 1/2 tsf.
black pepper 15 - 20
rice floor
butter/oil
water
Boil the fish for 4 to 5 minutes.
remove the skin and bones
mix every thing except the butter/oil
make medium size equal portions round square according to your fancy
shallow fry them in butter or oil. Make sure one or two peppers are there in every peace fried.
you can alternately put them in Tandoori oven sans oil/butter. It’s a bit messy.
Try it with this chutney
6 - 8 green chillies
one green apple
few twigs of coriander leaves
salt
a pinch of sugar
put every thing in mixer grinder (seeds et al).
serve this fish tikka / pakoda with this green chutney.
This dish okay with local Delhi fish. Don’t spoil you bangdas surmais hilsas over this preparation
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Forgive my ignorance (and this IS pretty ignorant), but what is the local Delhi fish?
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Anil Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Majority of people living north of Sahyadris are totally ignorant about sea food. Talk anything other than fish and it’s dicey waters. Talk about crabs/prawns/lobsters and there will be a blank stare. Salmons, Trout, sardines, caviars are as much Greek as bangda, hilsa, bombils except that they have a common link in fish. Initiation to this delicacy is through tandoori fish or tikka. Against this background I also own my ignorance about various species. By ‘local’ i meant ‘Rohus’ caught in Yamuna and around. I can be corrected. You can get some excellent local (fresh) catch on the Victoria Zanana hospital road (now Kasturba Hospital) near Jama Masjid.
I am glad Brijesh Kalappa has gently hinted that it is a cardinal sin to eat fish with anything but rice. I am enjoying every bit of your writings. Keep posting.
Is this Nandgaon different than Nagaon near Alibaug ? I am familiar with Nandgaon on the central railway track near Manmad Junction..
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
I don’t know of Nagaon Anil, but Nandgaon is just before Murud, about an hour south of Alibaug. Let me try to find some Yamuna Rohu, but is it, er, safe. You know, what with the Yamuna being what it is…
Chinz Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Thanks anil for this recipe..it turned out very well..the only diffrnc being i used wetted n then crushed bread in place of rice flour..and skipped the heeng
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My husband is from the West Indies - Trinidad specifically, and he loves loves loves Indian food, he too is quite a cook - - any who, I’ve emailed him your Fish curry recipe, can’t wait for him to cook it for me!!
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Hey Trish, how about asking him to post a Trinidadian fish recipe? I would love to try that. mmmm.
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Trish Reply:
November 6th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
Will do, this weekend we’ll pick out a good one for ya!
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
November 9th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
ummmmmmmmmmmm!
So um, Samar - rudimentary directions for gutting and cleaning fish would be much appreciated…
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Well, I just imitated what I saw at the fish shops — slit the chest, shove your hand in and haul out the guts. I slice off the eye at an angle and then lop off the gills. Hard to explain, easier to demonstrate.
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hey samar..i have never cooked pomfret in my life…i have got some from market…can u pls tell me some interesting pomfret recipe..or should i try the standard masala of coriander, salt, chilly, lime , peppers and fill fish with it and then steam/fry..? is that good enuff..or is there a still better recipe??
thanks
awaiting ur inputs on this..
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
October 29th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Actually, the standard red chilli, turmeric, salt and lime/tamarind works wonderfully on promfret, fried lightly or steamed.
There are other options of course::
1. You can make the standard Goan curry, the link to which is in the text of this blog.
2. You can make a pesto sauce and use it as a marination: grind basil leaves, garlic, 2 chillies, chilgoza (pine nuts), salt and olive oil. The steam, bake or fry.
3. You can simply use a ready made Thai paste (available everywhere) to marinate. Then fry/roast/grill/ bake
4. You could marinate it with some red chilli powder, soy sauce, a lime leaf, maybe a splash of vodka, then wrap it in banana leaf and steam.
5. You could make a standard green chutney with coriander, chillies, coconut, garlic, some jeera, lime; wrap in banana leaf and steam. If you don’t have banana leaf, use a foil and bake.
Hope this helps!
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Chinz Reply:
October 29th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Thanks a lot! Will try them (as i bought loads of varieties of fish yday from INA market
) and let u know how it turns out!
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Why isn’t there a pic of me holding the bowl of fish?
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Karan Reply:
November 1st, 2009 at 1:21 pm
My two pics is on your camera.
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 4:23 pm
It’s blurred!
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Samar,
Why did you delete my request for Karachi Halwa? Do you have allergy to it?
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
November 6th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Delete? I didn’t! I am of course no fan of Karachi halwa, and can’t help you there, but I don’t and can’t delete anything on this blog. Mystery
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