I have to thank Mr. Riaz for assisting me to help me turn the fish last night. I used a whole trout but this dish can use pieces and fillets of fish as well. My allergies was acting up and I was not feeling too chipper. This dish can be made with any type of fish. Also the oil that the fish is fried in is used for the rice so please do not discard it.
Add 1/4 cup of olive oil to a wok or large cast iron skillet. If you are going to use butterfish just make sure the gills and insides are removed. Add 1 tsp of lemon juice inside and outside of the fish after cleaning and washing. Mince 4 cloves of garlic. Here it is devided between the fish and the rice. Add some of the garlic on the inside and outside of the fish.
Crumble up 1 bullion cube and use a little of it inside and outside of the fish. The rest goes in the rice. Dredge the fish in 1/4 cup of all purpose unbleached flour and fry in the hot olive oil for 10 minutes per side for whole fish and 5 minutes per side for pieces and fillets of fish. Cover the wok or frying pan with a lid is very helpful too because it helps the fish cook nicely.
Be careful as you flip the fish. You want to keep the fish whole and intact. After the fish is done remove it gently to a paper towel lined plate and set aside. In a medium to large coldero, add the oil that the fish was cooked in to this pot. Add the remaining garlic, chop 1 onion or shallot and add to the pot. Put heat down low and cook until it turns a little brown.
Add the remaining bullion from the cube you crushed. In mortar and pestle add 1 pinch each of fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, 1 each of broken piece of cinnamon and whole red chili. Grind this in to a coarse powder and add to the pot with the oily mixture. Add 3 strands of saffron, 1 pinch each of sumac, turmeric. either cilantro, dill weed, parsley or mint, 3 dashes of maggi or knorr aroma, 2 pieces of preserved lemon then add the 2 cups of either white or brown basmati rice.
Stir in to the spicey oil and add 2 liters or 1/2 gallon of water. Raise the heat to high and let it come to a boil then lower the heat once more to low and cook for 20 minutes. Actually this is a rough estimate depending on the stove you are working on.
If there is a tiny bit of water remaining which really isn’t a big deal. Just shut off the heat and place the lid over the pot undisturbed which is called putting it on the dum for 20 minutes. Also you can place pieces of fish over the rice. After this it is time to enjoy this wonderful dish.
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