Machi Kebab And Lal Chutney
Asma Khan's Machi Kebab & Lal Chutney! Crisp fish kebabs with chilli, garlic, and coriander, fried until golden and served hot with a bold tomato & cumin red chutney. Spicy, comforting, and full of flavour!
Ingredients
Machi Kabab
- 4 slices of white bread
- 1 kg/2 lb 4 oz monkfish tails (or any other firm white fish)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1½ tsp salt
- 60 g/2¼ oz white onions, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 green chillis, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
- 2 eggs, beaten
- Vegetable oil, for deep frying
Lal Chutney Red Chutney
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 500g ripe red tomatoes, finely chopped
- 3 – 4 hot jalapeño chillies, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp chopped dried apricots
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh
- coriander
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, sesame oil or olive oil
- 1/2 tsp honey
Method
Machi Kabab
To make the breadcrumbs, dry out (but do not toast) the slices of bread under a grill (broiler). Using your hands, crumble the bread into a small bowl, or use a food processor, and set aside.
In a colander set over a pan of boiling water, gently steam the monkfish tails for 5–6 minutes.
Remove the fish from the colander, pat dry with paper towels, then flake the fish into a bowl. To the same bowl, add the lemon juice, white pepper and salt. Combine. Then add the onion, garlic, chillis, coriander leaves and breadcrumbs and mix through. Finally, add the beaten egg and bring the mixture together. Ideally, use a deep -fat fryer or, if you haven’t got one, use a heavy-based saucepan over a medium–high heat to heat the oil to 190°C/375°F. Test the temperature by putting a cube of bread in the oil–if it immediately starts to crisp up then the oil is ready.
Take a handful of the fish mixture and roll it into a ball the size of a walnut. Carefully roll this kabab into the hot oil to ‘test fry’. Cook for until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove the kabab from the oil and allow to drain on paper towels. When cool enough to eat, check the kabab for seasoning. If necessary, adjust the seasoning of the fish mixture. Continue making the rest of the balls in the same way and frying them in small batches of 5 or 6. Serve immediately, while the kababs are hot, with the room – temperature chutney on the side.
Lal Chutney
Dry roast the cumin seeds in a heavy- based pan over a low heat, stirring until they turn a few shades darker. Tip them onto a plate and leave to cool.
When cool, grind the seeds to a powder, using a spice grinder or a pestle and mortar.
Mix all the other ingredients together in a bowl. Add the ground cumin seeds and mix well, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Cover the bowl and leave at room temperature for a couple of hours for the flavours to infuse before serving.
Ingredients
Machi Kabab
- 4 slices of white bread
- 1 kg/2 lb 4 oz monkfish tails (or any other firm white fish)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1½ tsp salt
- 60 g/2¼ oz white onions, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 green chillis, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
- 2 eggs, beaten
- Vegetable oil, for deep frying
Lal Chutney Red Chutney
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 500g ripe red tomatoes, finely chopped
- 3 – 4 hot jalapeño chillies, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp chopped dried apricots
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh
- coriander
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, sesame oil or olive oil
- 1/2 tsp honey
Method
Machi Kabab
To make the breadcrumbs, dry out (but do not toast) the slices of bread under a grill (broiler). Using your hands, crumble the bread into a small bowl, or use a food processor, and set aside.
In a colander set over a pan of boiling water, gently steam the monkfish tails for 5–6 minutes.
Remove the fish from the colander, pat dry with paper towels, then flake the fish into a bowl. To the same bowl, add the lemon juice, white pepper and salt. Combine. Then add the onion, garlic, chillis, coriander leaves and breadcrumbs and mix through. Finally, add the beaten egg and bring the mixture together. Ideally, use a deep -fat fryer or, if you haven’t got one, use a heavy-based saucepan over a medium–high heat to heat the oil to 190°C/375°F. Test the temperature by putting a cube of bread in the oil–if it immediately starts to crisp up then the oil is ready.
Take a handful of the fish mixture and roll it into a ball the size of a walnut. Carefully roll this kabab into the hot oil to ‘test fry’. Cook for until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove the kabab from the oil and allow to drain on paper towels. When cool enough to eat, check the kabab for seasoning. If necessary, adjust the seasoning of the fish mixture. Continue making the rest of the balls in the same way and frying them in small batches of 5 or 6. Serve immediately, while the kababs are hot, with the room – temperature chutney on the side.
Lal Chutney
Dry roast the cumin seeds in a heavy- based pan over a low heat, stirring until they turn a few shades darker. Tip them onto a plate and leave to cool.
When cool, grind the seeds to a powder, using a spice grinder or a pestle and mortar.
Mix all the other ingredients together in a bowl. Add the ground cumin seeds and mix well, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Cover the bowl and leave at room temperature for a couple of hours for the flavours to infuse before serving.
