Fish Fry in Red Paste ~ Goan Style

Fish Fry is a one of the prefered ways of cooking fish especially in western region of India where Fish is a significant part of any staple non-vegeterian diet. Coat them with Sooji or Semolina of choice with herbs and spices. Serve with a dash of lime juice and enjoy the delicate fillet melting in your mouth. This is my own interpretation of the Fish Fry in Red Paste I'd tasted long back. Unlike the conventional recipes, this one takes the longer route. Here, spices are ground, applied in abundance as a spice rub to the fish and pan-fried to the extent required.

Yield: 15-18 pieces from 3 fillets
Preparation time: 60 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:
Fish fillet of choice ~ Tilapia - 3 fillets ~ approx. 15-18 bites
Red Chillies (Byadgi variety) - 3-5
Ginger (minced) - 1 teaspoon
Garlic (minced) - 1 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder (optional) - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Black Pepper corn (whole) - 1/2 teaspoon
Brinda or Kokum shells or Sol/ Tamarind juice - 2-3 shells or 1 teaspoon
Sooji or Semolina - For coating the fish - 3-5 tablespoon
Oil - For frying

Method:
Lightly roast red chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and pepper corns with few teaspoons of oil. Allow to cool, grind to a fine paste, add ginger-garlic as well; grind with little or no water to a fine, smooth paste. End result would be a red paste, add red chilli powder if desired. Add salt and Kokum shells or Sol to the marinade. Soak the fish fillet, chopped into bite-sized pieces in this marinade and leave for 60 minutes.
Once done, coat the Fish pieces in Sooji and pan-fry using a frying pan with oil drizzled on sides for 10-15 minutes. Fish cooks faster so once done, poke a toothpick to check for doneness. Serve with lime wedges garnished on the side.