Achari (pickled) Fish Cake

Achari Fish Cake

Achari – means pickled in India. Pickles are something which can bring water in your mouth by looking and smelling of them.Without pickle, Indian kitchens are not compleat.Pickles are part of our everyday life. There are hundred and thousands different kind of pickle in India.Actually, every Indian house has got there the unique style of pickles. Some are sweet and some are spicy or even sweet and sour. Some popular pickles are raw mango pickle, tangy lemon pickle, sweet plumb pickle,garlic pickle, onion pickle,coconut pickle,prawn pickle and so on.It will never end.In my recipe, I have used raw mango pickle (hot version) .Patak’s pickles are very popular in the UK.You will find them in any Indian grocery shop. You can use any types of spicy pickle in this recipe.Fish cake is my all time favorite. I thought why not add some extra spicy kick to my fish cake .Trust me the end result is so good you will not stop making them for your friends and family.You can prepare the fish cake and shape them (don’t fry ) in advance and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then shallow fry or deep fry them just before serving.

Regarding Raw Mango Pickle : There is various kind of mango pickles depending on the region .Mostly mango pickles are the mixture of mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, chilli powder, garlic cloves, salt , raw chopped mangoes and mustard oil.After that kept in a jar and then pickles need to go under the sun or dry place for fermentation. When this drying process takes place it is very difficult to keep them away from the children.It smells so good that no one can resist themselves from the pickle.

Ingredients are:

One medium size potato steamed or boiled (dry them with a paper towel after boiling).

One small size red potato steamed or boiled (dry them with a paper towel after boiling).

Tin tuna fish 320 gram.(you can use any boneless fish, poach or steam fish before use).

One half medium size chopped onion.

Two small salad onions.

5 garlic cloves chopped.

Chopped ginger 1 tablespoon.

Frozen peas one small cup or fresh peas.

Raw mango pickle.(I have use Pataks hot mango pickle).

An egg.

Corn flour 2 to 3 large tablespoon

(I have use Pataks hot mango pickle).

An egg.

Corn flour 2 to 3 large tablespoon.(May need more).

Chopped coriander leaves.

2 green chilies chopped.

Salt to taste.

Oil to fry .

Method:

Step 1: Put 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan.Add onion,garlic,ginger,chili,some salt when the oil is hot.After stirring them few times (after one minute) add peas into.After letting the onions brown a bit stop cooking.

Step 2: Now pour the fried onion and peas mixture into the potatoes , tuna fish ,pickle,coriander leaves.Mix everything well.Make sure potatoes have no water left in it before mixing.

Step 3: At this time add one egg and corn flour. Mix well.If your mixture is too soggy add some breadcrumb.I didn’t have to use any breadcrumb.Check the salt now, add salt if required.

Add bread crumb and one egg — Add breadcrumb and one egg

Step 4: Shep them and leave them inside the fridge for at least 1 hour .Cooling the fish mixture will make them firmer.

Step 5: Now add 3 to 4 tablespoon of oil into the pan.Oil is hot, now gently slide the cakes in the pan.Over medium heat cook the one side for 2 to 3 minutes .Flip them gently ,cook the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes or until brown.At this point my fish cake was bit soft as I use very little oil to cook them,so I transfer them in the grill over in high temperature for 10 minutes.

Step 6: Serve hot with any salad or yogurt dressing.