Sindhi Fish Pulav

 The first year of your married life is no doubt the most enthralling one. I don't mean to dishearten the ones who after years of marriage still feel the magic of marriage. I am somewhere in the same place too even after being married for over three years. But it is just that, there is still some force in me that makes me wanna go back to that first year! Some interesting anecdotes too...
As is usual,my proof reader is gonna read this blog and I am just wondering what his response is gonna be seeing the dig at him:P
As is normal for an Indian married woman, a week after we settled down in Bangalore - I religiously began cooking all the three meals a day and as a dutiful wife asked him what he wants for lunch in his dabba.
His response was spontaneous - Oh No! Carrying a dabba is so typical of a married man. Get married and then carry a dabba to office. I am good without one, you do not have to make lunch for me on weekdays.
I was ecstatic, I only needed to cook for myself as my cafeteria food offered no delights ( the irony of it all was I was the chairman of the office food committee :P psst psst - Let us not delve into that now).  About a month after that, one evening my dear husband walks up to me and decides to make a transition from being single to carrying the dabba symbolic of marriage! I just could not stop from passing snide remarks! What brought about this change - though I can't exactly remember was something to do with his cafeteria closing or shifting but I choose to believe that it is because he was now certain that his wife could cook:)
All said and done - he is my best critique and never insists on carrying a dabba everyday. So I take all the freedom to cook what I want, how I want and the way I want it yet I ensure that I do not take it for granted.

Over to my recipe - well although I made it - this was given by a Sindhi friend of mine - Shweta - an ex-colleague with whom I have had 'n' number of coffees and delightful crowded metro rides!!

Oh and why did I mention the anecdote above? Simply because it is a perfect recipe for your dabba!

Ingredients

1. Fish Fillet - 800 gms (boneless)
2. Onion - 4 medium sized finely sliced
3. Tomato - 2 medium sized  sliced
4. Green chilli - 2 to 3 slit
5. Coriander powder - 4 tsp
6. Chilli powder - 2 tsp
7. Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
8. Bay Leaf - 2
9. Basmati Rice - 1 and 1/2 cup
10. Salt

Method

• Soak the basmati rice in warm water for half an hour. Drain the water and set aside.
• Heat oil in a cooking pot and sauté the onions until deep brown in color.
• Then add the tomatoes, chilli, the masala powder along with bay leaves . Stir and let it cook covered until the tomato melts in and oil begins to separate.
• Add the fish and salt into the masala along with 2 cups of water. Let the fish cook on low flame.
• Once cooked, scoop out the fish along with a little of the masala carefully so as to not break it.
• Add about 1 cup of water ( or just enough water for the basmati rice to cook) to the gravy along with basmati rice and let it cook covered. Adjust salt at this point.
• Fry the scooped out fish without oil in a pan until the gravy forms a coat over the fish - about 2 minutes on medium flame on both the sides.
• Serve the rice onto a plate and layer the fish slices on the top. Add a final garnish of coriander leaves.

You may also note - 

• It is better to use boneless fish in the pulav making it easier to eat, avoiding the hassle of having to dig into the bones.
• Avoid stirring the fishes once it is cooked to prevent breaking of the slices. Rotate the whole of the cooking pot instead of stirring.