Bharala Poplet – Marathi Recipe

Instructions

For Marination:

• Wash the fish really good.
• Cut the tail and give a cut the fins.
• Give a cut near its mouth and clean the fish well from inside as well.
• Take the side opposite to the cut near its mouth.
• Hold the fish firmly with your 4 fingers and with the help of sharp knife give a cut near the round mark.
• Make the cut enough deep to make a pocket, so that the stuffing can be filled well in it.
• Flip the fish over and make a cut near the previous cut near its mouth.
• Make enough deep cut to fill the stuffing.
• Wash the fish really good with water inside out.
• In a bowl take ginger garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, cumin powder, salt, lemon juice and a little water.
• Mix well to make thick paste.
• Do not add much water or the marinate won’t stick to the fish.
• Rub the paste inside out on the fish from all sides and rest it for marination for about 15-20 minutes.

For Stuffing:

• In a blender jar take shredded coconut, coriander leaves, garlic cloves, chopped ginger, green chili and a little water.
• Blend everything into fine paste.
• Heat up oil in a pan.
• Add the blended masala and fry for about a minute.
• Add red chili powder, salt and fry for about 2 minutes more.
• Turn off the gas and let the stuffing cool down.
• Fill a lot of stuffing into pockets of the pomfert really good from both sides.
• Heat up oil in a pan on high heat.
• When oil is really hot, lower down the heat.
• Do not fry fish in cold oil or the masala will fall off.
• Fry for about 5-6 minutes on medium heat from one side.
• Do not touch the fish until it is well fried.
• Flip the fish over and fry from other side for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat.
• Insert a tooth pick in the pomfert.
• If it goes easily inside the fish them the fish is well fried.
• Take the pomfert out into a dish.
• Bharala paplet is already.