The recipe involves a simple process of cooking the Sura/Shark fish first and then mixing it with sauted onions, garlic, green chillies to give a boneless fish that tastes excellent. It is usually called Paal Sura in tamil and is given to lactating mothers.
In this recipe, since the bones are removed it can be given to kids and the elderly too. Kids will just love it. It is usually taken as a side dish along with curry and rice. I prefer eating it directly with rice.
You can also use the steaming process to cook the Sura/Shark fish but I have just added it to water and heated the water. This process is followed by my aunts who are great cooks. If you want to follow the steaming process place the Sura/Shark fish on the idli plates using a cloth or plantain leaf and steam it for 10 minutes.
This fish has to be cooked before and then added to the sauted onions, garlic and green chillies otherwise it will turn out hard.
Here I have used Sura with skin but you can buy without skin and follow the same procedure.
Ingredients
750 g with skin Sura/Shark fish
3 tablespoons of oil
5 medium-sized onions (finely chopped)
3 pods garlic (finely chopped)
10 green chillies (finely chopped)
1/4+ 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
a sprig of curry leaves
1 tablespoon coriander leaves (finely chopped)
1/2 + 1/2 teaspoon salt
Method
Cooking of Sura / Shark fish
Wash the fish properly. Then place it in the vessel and pour around 250 ml water. Add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Heat it on a high medium flame for 10 minutes. Switch off the gas and allow it to cool.
When it is cooled, remove the skin and the bones. Shred the flesh into smaller pieces as shown in the below third picture.
How to make Sura /Shark fish puttu?
Take a kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add oil and allow the oil to get heated.
Add onions and sauté till the onions become translucent. Add garlic and sauté further till the garlic is fried. (that is the colour changes slightly to off white)
Then add green chillies and curry leaves. Sauté for few minutes so that the chilli blends with the onions and garlic. Then, add turmeric powder.
Finally, add the coriander leaves and give a final mix. Enjoy the Sura fish Puttu with hot rice or with rice and curry!!:)
