Dill daal and crispy sea bass, aka my dream food. This daal and I are well acquainted. Best friends if you will.
People always look surprised when I mention that it's a favourite, because really the daal is very simple to make. The fragrant dill adds so much flavour to the daal and it has always been one of my favourite mummy dishes. When I was at my mum's recently, I asked her to make it again. I don't ever ask my mum to make anything for me and of course, I could have made it myself but there's something about mum's cooking that makes it more special. It feels like home/being a kid all over again.As for sea bass, you can't really go wrong and as much as I love sea bass with thai flavours/crispy noodles/vegetables, I also love it with daal. Fish and daal work really well together but daal is delicious on it's own. Its yummy in a roti too.
Dill Daal and Crispy Sea Bass
Ingredients
Sea Bass
- 4 100g sea bass lightly scored
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp oil
Daal
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 curry leaves
- 3-4 cloves garlic grated finely
- 1 onion sliced finely
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 2 cups yellow moong daal washed
- 3-4 cups water
- 1 bunch dill chopped leaves only
Instructions
Fish
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In a large bowl cover the seabass with the salt, pepper, chilli, turmeric, cumin and coriander powder.
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Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan.
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Add the fish to the pan, skin side down and press down on it with your fingers. Cook for 3 minutes.
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Turn it over and cook for a further 2 minutes.
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Remove from the pan and set aside.
Daal
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Heat the oil and butter in a medium non stick pan and add the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Allow to cook for 1 minute.
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Add the garlic and saute for about a minute over a medium, low heat.
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Now turn the heat up slightly so it is medium high, stir in the chopped onion and cook till light brown. This takes about 7 - 8 minutes.
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Mix in the dill leaves, salt, turmeric and chilli till combined.
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Add the uncooked daal to the mixture and turn the heat right down.
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Pour in the water and cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. Cook for 25 minutes, checking at the 20 minute mark to make sure it isn't sticking. If it is catching, add 1/2 cup water.
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The daal should still be firm to the touch.
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Serve with a squeeze of lemon.
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