Sri Lankan style fish cutlets are so delicious and they are extremely addictive. They make for a perfect snack or a first course.
Here are the things you can buy online for making this recipe Fine Breadcrumbs https://amzn.to/3w0ZK9S Canned Tuna https://amzn.to/3QnD7EF (If using canned fish for the first time, the smell can be very strong)
Here is the video of how to make Sri Lankan style fish cutlets
Traditionally, these cutlets are made with canned fish in Srilanka. I am making it with fresh tuna today. I have taken about 400 grams of fresh tuna for making these fish cutlets. Boil the tuna for about 6-7 minutes. Remove the scum from the water while the fish is boiling. Once the fish is cooked, remove from the water and set aside. Shred the fish with a fork. I used boneless fish today. If using fish with bones, make sure to remove the bones and the skin while shredding the fish. Once the fish is nicely shredded, set aside.
I have about 400 grams of potatoes that have been boiled and peeled. The quantity of potatoes and fish should be equal for these Sri Lankan style fish cutlets. Gently mash the potatoes to a smooth consistency. Set aside.
Heat vegetable oil in a pan. Add in the mustard seeds, fennel seeds, minced ginger, and some finely chopped curry leaves. Saute for a few seconds. Add in the finely chopped onions and the finely chopped green chillies. Add in the salt. Saute for a few minutes till the onions are soft. Add in the turmeric powder and the black pepper powder. Cook for a minute. Add the mashed potatoes to the pan. Make sure that there are no lumps in the potatoes and they are mashed to a smooth consistency. Add in the shredded fish. Squeeze some lime juice into the pan. Mix everything well to combine. Check for seasoning at this stage and add some salt if necessary. Mix well to combine. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Now let’s make the fish balls for the cutlets. Do not make the balls really big in size. Keep it small, similar to the size of ping pong balls. Do not go bigger than that. Be sure to make tight balls so they do not open up when cooking. I got about close to 30 balls today. Once the balls are made, I prefer to reshape the balls once again so they are rolled tight and look even. It’s an extra step but they look really nice. They look aesthetically nice when they are smooth and even. Set aside.
Now let’s make the egg wash. Break an egg into a bowl. Add in a pinch of salt and a few tablespoons of milk. Mix well with a whisk to combine. Set aside.
Get the breading station ready. The bread crumbs, the egg wash and the fish balls. Take a ball and place it in the egg wash. I like to use a spoon to coat the egg wash on the fish balls so my hands remain dry. Wet hands can make the bread crumbs clump up and clumpy cutlets are definitely a no no. Add the wet fish balls to the bread crumbs and sprinkle the bread crumbs all over the fish ball. Take the bread crumb coated fish ball and gently roll it between the palms so the bread crumbs can adhere well to the fish balls. This is an important step to ensure that the bread crumbs do not fall off while frying. Fine bread crumbs are preferred for this recipe. Readymade boxed breadcrumbs work really well.
Once all the fish balls are breaded and ready, we will do the breading once again for a second time. Take the breaded cutlet and dip it in egg wash once more. Do not leave it in egg wash for a long time. Just wet the fish balls briefly and place it in the bread crumbs. Sprinkle bread crumbs on the fish balls and roll again. Breading the cutlets two times makes for really crispy and crunchy fish cutlets. This is an extra step but believe me, these make insanely crispy cutlets. Make sure to roll the breaded balls in between the palm so the crumbs adhere well to the cutlets. Otherwise they may separate while frying in oil.
Our cutlets are breaded and ready. Set aside to rest for about 30 minutes. These cutlets freeze well and can be frozen at this stage. If freezing, freeze as a single layer. Just thaw the cutlets when needed and proceed with the frying.
Now let’s fry the fish cutlets. Heat vegetable oil in a pan until hot. Add the cutlets to the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. If the temperature of oil falls, the cutlets will become very oily and greasy. So fry in batches and do not add too many cutlets at one time. After adding the cutlets, do not disturb them for a minute. The bread crumbs are fragile and they will break if pressed with a spatula. So do not touch them after adding them to the hot oil. After a minute, try to turn the cutlets once. Let them cook until they are golden.
Once they are golden, remove the fish cutlets from the oil and drain on paper towels. These are best served hot.
Enjoy!
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 30m
- Cook Time: 30m
Traditionally, these cutlets are made with canned fish in Srilanka. I am making it with fresh tuna today. I have taken about 400 grams of fresh tuna for making these fish cutlets. Boil the tuna for about 6-7 minutes. Remove the scum from the water while the fish is boiling. Once the fish is cooked, remove from the water and set aside. Shred the fish with a fork. I used boneless fish today. If using fish with bones, make sure to remove the bones and the skin while shredding the fish. Once the fish is nicely shredded, set aside.
I have about 400 grams of potatoes that have been boiled and peeled. The quantity of potatoes and fish should be equal for these Sri Lankan style fish cutlets. Gently mash the potatoes to a smooth consistency. Set aside.
Heat vegetable oil in a pan. Add in the mustard seeds, fennel seeds, minced ginger, and some finely chopped curry leaves. Saute for a few seconds. Add in the finely chopped onions and the finely chopped green chillies. Add in the salt. Saute for a few minutes till the onions are soft. Add in the turmeric powder and the black pepper powder. Cook for a minute. Add the mashed potatoes to the pan. Make sure that there are no lumps in the potatoes and they are mashed to a smooth consistency. Add in the shredded fish. Squeeze some lime juice into the pan. Mix everything well to combine. Check for seasoning at this stage and add some salt if necessary. Mix well to combine. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Now let’s make the fish balls for the cutlets. Do not make the balls really big in size. Keep it small, similar to the size of ping pong balls. Do not go bigger than that. Be sure to make tight balls so they do not open up when cooking. I got about close to 30 balls today. Once the balls are made, I prefer to reshape the balls once again so they are rolled tight and look even. It’s an extra step but they look really nice. They look aesthetically nice when they are smooth and even. Set aside.
Now let’s make the egg wash. Break an egg into a bowl. Add in a pinch of salt and a few tablespoons of milk. Mix well with a whisk to combine. Set aside.
Get the breading station ready. The bread crumbs, the egg wash and the fish balls. Take a ball and place it in the egg wash. I like to use a spoon to coat the egg wash on the fish balls so my hands remain dry. Wet hands can make the bread crumbs clump up and clumpy cutlets are definitely a no no. Add the wet fish balls to the bread crumbs and sprinkle the bread crumbs all over the fish ball. Take the bread crumb coated fish ball and gently roll it between the palms so the bread crumbs can adhere well to the fish balls. This is an important step to ensure that the bread crumbs do not fall off while frying. Fine bread crumbs are preferred for this recipe. Readymade boxed breadcrumbs work really well.
Once all the fish balls are breaded and ready, we will do the breading once again for a second time. Take the breaded cutlet and dip it in egg wash once more. Do not leave it in egg wash for a long time. Just wet the fish balls briefly and place it in the bread crumbs. Sprinkle bread crumbs on the fish balls and roll again. Breading the cutlets two times makes for really crispy and crunchy fish cutlets. This is an extra step but believe me, these make insanely crispy cutlets. Make sure to roll the breaded balls in between the palm so the crumbs adhere well to the cutlets. Otherwise they may separate while frying in oil.
Our cutlets are breaded and ready. Set aside to rest for about 30 minutes. These cutlets freeze well and can be frozen at this stage. If freezing, freeze as a single layer. Just thaw the cutlets when needed and proceed with the frying.
Now let’s fry the fish cutlets. Heat vegetable oil in a pan until hot. Add the cutlets to the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. If the temperature of oil falls, the cutlets will become very oily and greasy. So fry in batches and do not add too many cutlets at one time. After adding the cutlets, do not disturb them for a minute. The bread crumbs are fragile and they will break if pressed with a spatula. So do not touch them after adding them to the hot oil. After a minute, try to turn the cutlets once. Let them cook until they are golden.
Once they are golden, remove the fish cutlets from the oil and drain on paper towels. These are best served hot.
Enjoy!
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 30m
- Cook Time: 30m
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/sri-lankan-fish-cutlets/
Recipe for prawns tawa fried with a spicy masala paste made from scratch. Recipe with detailed video.
I got inspired to try prawn fry on a tawa the way it’s done in Puthur Jayaram Hotel. The “irumbu dosai kallu” (iron tawa) roasts and caramelises the fresh ground masala along with the prawns. The prawns are then tossed with a simple sauteed onion tomato mixture. Once the prawns are roasted well, it’s finished with a generous sprinkling of black pepper, cumin and curry leaves. The resultant prawn fry is delicious in every bite and goes really well as a side dish with rice.
Here are the things you can buy online for making this recipe Fish Turner / Spatula https://amzn.to/3PoeFBL 12 inch Cast Iron Griddle https://amzn.to/3SVYLSj Blender https://amzn.to/3dzzyNe
Here is the video of how to make Prawn Fry
For The Masala Paste
2 pods country garlic (use 1 pod if regular garlic) 1/2 inch ginger 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder 2 teaspoon coriander powder 2 tablespoon water
For Sauteed Onion And Tomatoes
2 teaspoon Indian sesame oil 1/2 cup onions, chopped 1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped 1/2 teaspoon salt
Other Ingredients
5 tablespoon Indian sesame oil (divided) 500 grams prawns (medium) 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder 2 sprigs curry leaves few tablespoons water to deglaze the pan
First, let us make a masala paste for the prawn fry. Take a small mixie jar or a blender and add in the country garlic. Country garlic is preferred for this recipe. If you cannot source country garlic, you can use regular garlic. Add in the roughly chopped ginger. Add some red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder, salt, Kashmiri red chilli powder (mainly for the bright red colour), coriander powder and little water. Cover the mixie jar and grind this mixture to a really smooth paste. Pulse the mixie several times to make sure that the garlic and ginger is finely pureed. Set aside.
Heat a wide cast iron griddle and add in some oil. Add the cleaned prawns to the griddle. Medium or small prawns are preferred for this recipe. Roast the prawns on the griddle for about a couple of minutes. Once roasted, make a small well in the centre and add in some oil. Add in the ground paste to the griddle. Slowly fry the paste on the griddle while tossing the prawns along. Roast well for two to three minutes till the prawn fry looks dry. Add little oil mid way so the paste fries up and caramelises.
We also need to make a sauteed onion tomato mixture for this recipe and here is how to do it. Heat a little oil in a pan and add in the chopped onions. Add the chopped tomatoes along. Add some salt and mix well to combine. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low flame for about three to four minutes. The tomatoes must get soft and mushy. The onions should be cooked to a soft texture too.
Add the sauteed onion tomato mixture to the griddle. Mix everything well to combine and roast everything for a couple of minutes more.
Once roasted add a few tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan and to get all the masalas and flavour bits sticking to the griddle.
At this stage add some black pepper powder. Add some cumin powder and finally a generous sprinkling of curry leaves. Mix everything well to combine.
Our fantastic prawn fry is ready. It tastes divine with some hot white rice. Enjoy!
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 10m
- Cook Time: 20m
