Recipe for Spicy Nethili Meen Varuval, Deep fried Anchovies – நெத்திலி மீன் வறுவல். Anchovies marinated in a Tamil style masala with spices and herbs and deep fried. Crispy and crunchy Nethili Meen Fry recipe.
I love deep fried anchovies. They never made anchovies at my home. We had access to only river water fish when were young. Sea fish was very hard to come by in Coimbatore. The first time I had anchovies was in Chennai when I was young with Babu Uncle . When the deep fried anchovies arrived at the table, I took one and was incessantly trying to remove the tiny bones. He stopped me and told me to just eat it all. I was like “எனக்கு போன் சாப்பிட்டு பழக்கம் இல்லையே” – I am not used to eating bones in a fish (I was actually scared if the bones would poke me). He just casually took an anchovy and enjoyed it. He told that the tiny bones are so soft and so crisp that you will never realize that there were bones to begin with. I had my first deep fried anchovy – It was crispy, crunchy, salty and so full of the flavors of the sea. It has become one of my favorite fishes. I like it deep fried. Here is how to do Nethili varuval, my style. We will need gutted and cleaned Nethili fish for this fish fry. Clean and wash the Nethili in salt water. Set aside to dry. If the anchovies are small, keep the bones in. If the anchovies are big (More than 2 inches), its easy to remove the bones from the anchovies. Today I had big anchovies. So I removed the bones. Refer to this video in you tube for deboning anchovies.
Take a bowl and add in the cleaned fish. Add in the crushed ginger and garlic. I use a mortar and pestle to crush the ginger and garlic.
Add in the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder and salt. Add in the rice flour and maida.
Add in the vinegar. Plain regular vinegar works just fine. No fancy vinegar is required. Add in finely chopped curry leaves. Curry leaves is what gives that southie flavour to the fish. Do not omit the curry leaves.
Mix everything well to combine. Sprinkle few drops of water while mixing. Let the fish marinate for 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature.
Heat vegetable oil / sunflower oil in a kadai until really hot. The masalas wont separate if fried in really hot oil. When the oil is hot, gently place the marinated anchovies and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add in few sprigs of curry leaves to the oil. Try not to disturb the fish after placing in oil.
Fry till golden.
Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.
Squeeze some lemon juice on the fish and serve hot with some sliced onions. Serve immediately.
- 250 grams Anchovies, cleaned and gutted, deboned if big
- 2 sprigs curry leaves, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1/2 inch piece ginger
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon plain vinegar
- 2 tablespoon rice flour
- 2 tablespoon maida
- Vegetable oil / Sunflower oil to deep fry
- lemon wedges and sliced onions to serve
- Clean and wash the Nethili in salt water. Set aside to dry.
- Add in finely chopped curry leaves, crushed ginger and garlic, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder and salt.
- Add in the vinegar. Add in the rice flour and maida.
- Mix everything well to combine.
- Let the fish marinate for 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature.
- Heat vegetable oil / sunflower oil in a kadai until really hot. The masalas wont separate if fried in really hot oil. When the oil is hot, gently place the marinated anchovies and fry for 2-3 minutes. Try not to disturb the fish after placing in oil.
- Fry till golden. Serve immediately.
Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 10 mins
Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Tamilnadu
250 grams Anchovies, cleaned and gutted, deboned if big
2 sprigs curry leaves, chopped
5 cloves garlic
1/2 inch piece ginger
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon plain vinegar
2 tablespoon rice flour
2 tablespoon maida
Vegetable oil / Sunflower oil to deep fry
lemon wedges and sliced onions to serve
- Clean and wash the Nethili in salt water. Set aside to dry.
- Add in finely chopped curry leaves, crushed ginger and garlic, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder and salt.
- Add in the vinegar. Add in the rice flour and maida.
- Mix everything well to combine.
- Let the fish marinate for 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature.
- Heat vegetable oil / sunflower oil in a kadai until really hot. The masalas wont separate if fried in really hot oil. When the oil is hot, gently place the marinated anchovies and fry for 2-3 minutes. Try not to disturb the fish after placing in oil.
- Fry till golden. Serve immediately.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/nethili-meen-varuval/
As is the case with most distinct types of cuisine, Indian food tends to be best in its native country. Whether you’re stopping in at an established restaurant or being treated to a home-cooked meal built from a delicious recipe , it’s going to be delicious. However, Indian food is a very popular export as well. The depth of flavors and spices make it a very interesting option for ambitious chefs all over the world (not to mention Indian chefs who move abroad), and as a result terrific Indian cuisine has popped up in cities around the globe.
In case this is of any interest to those of you who are generally enthusiastic about Indian food, we wanted to take a brief look at some of the international cities that have developed the best reputations for it.
New York, United States
We may as well begin with what is arguably the world’s greatest food city. New York City is simply so large and multicultural that it has inevitably gained a reputation for showcasing extraordinarily authentic cuisine from all over the world. In some cases, people even find that certain establishments in New York are as good or better than restaurants in native countries! At times on this list I will seek to provide some context for particularly interesting restaurants and locations, but in New York there’s great Indian all around the sprawling city. You can find cheaper options, expensive sit-down restaurants, and even excellent delivery options. I’m partial to Vatan – a fixed price, all-you-can-eat vegetarian venue in Manhattan – but Grub Street has done us the favor of listing the absolute best Indian restaurants in New York .
London, England
If one city tops New York, it’s probably London. In fact, it’s not uncommon to hear people say that London has the very best Indian food in the world – including India ! The city is fairly multicultural, but Indians make up one of its largest minorities, so it’s no wonder Indian cuisine has blossomed there. One fun detail of London’s Indian food scene is that several of the better restaurants happen to be near major attractions or fun things to do. For instance, a well-regarded Southwest Indian place called Quilon is just a few streets over from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament (two of the city’s top landmarks); Dishoom, another popular place, is in the middle of a full-fledged entertainment complex. There you can find the legendary London casino the Hippodrome, which has been around since 1900 , as well as the city’s Royal Opera House.
Kampala, Uganda
Kampala may be the most surprising city on this list, but the Ugandan capital is known for having a lot of Indian dining options, and some very good ones at that. The Indian population in town is fairly significant, so while Kampala isn’t as large as London or New York, there was a similar inevitable quality to its development of fine Indian food. You can also find a nice assortment of different atmospheres diving into the Indian scene in Kampala. Khazana, a restaurant considered to be the best in the city (and potentially in this entire region of the world), features atmospheric Rajasthani-inspired décor . Meanwhile Nawab, a more casual (but still excellent) establishment, sits atop the main mall in town with an open-air design that makes it a fun vantage point from which to look out over the city.
Singapore
This list would be incomplete without Singapore, which is right up there with the other cities mentioned above when it comes to having a reputation for terrific Indian food. You might almost be surprised by the sheer number of Indian places in a relatively small area of Singapore, but as with London some of the most respected and well-reviewed restaurants are right in the middle of popular attractions. Shahi Maharani, an elegant North Indian restaurant, is right at the end of Clarke Quay, one of the city’s vibrant nightlife hotspots . And Maharaja Boat Quay, a more casual place for beer and dining, is located right on Marina Bay – perhaps the most popular and beautiful place in Singapore.
