Meen Varuval-The South Indian Style Fish Fry

 As Mom as kids,both my kids eat fish with no fuss.We have an Asian grocers nearby that sells fresh fish with the service that includes cleaning and custom cut.Though I have to remove the thorns while feeding them,we prefer to go in for the steaks rather than the fish fillet.This is the normal fish fry which I use to prepare,quite simple and definitely tastes good.

Ingredients
1 lb Fish Steak(Tilapia used here).
Oil(Enough to shallow fry).
1 tbsp Red Chilli powder(or as needed)
1 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder.
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder.
1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste.
1 tsp lemon juice/ distilled white vinegar.
ground black pepper(optional).
Salt(as needed).

Method
1.Clean the fish steak in water.Drain the water completely.
2.Rub in Turmeric powder,salt,followed by rest of the ingredients asked to marinate the fish with.keep the marinated fish in a closed container for minimum 1 hour to overnight.They can even be put in the freezer ,thawed and fried.
3.Heat a pan(10 inch Pan used here) with oil enough for shallow frying the fish steaks.It can be deep fried too.
4.Keep the flame on low medium.Add the fish steaks in batches.Do not overcrowd.For the size of the pan I used,I fry 4 steaks in a single batch.
5.Fry one side,flip and fry the other side.A sharper and stronger spatula helps to flip the steaks easily without breaking.I flip twice on each side to get the darker crispier fish fries adjusting the flame from low medium to low,whenever necessary.
6.Once done,take them out and allow to drain in a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
7.Serve them as a sidedish for rice with curries,rasam or yogurt.