Soul fish from the streets of Punjab

Nearly every neighbourhood Punjabi dhaba worth its salt in Bangalore boasts fish
Amritsari on its menu and it is one of two fish dishes to find a prvileged spot in
generic menus inspired to give those craving boti and roti (meat and flatbreads),
a quick introduction to North Indian food.

While Da Vinci might argue that in simplicity lies the ultimate sophistication, to the
common man, simplicity could also be well be earthy, wholesome and a touch
loud. Just like the zippy Fish Amritsari. Bursting with spices, colour and tang,
this bright orange-yellow double fried piece of crisp fish is a party in your mouth.
If Fish Amritsari was a girl, she would be a simple, traditionally dressed country
lass doing a crowd-stopping number at the newest disco!

Perhaps the second most ubiquitous Punjabi dhaba snack after the tandoori
chicken is the Amritsari fish that has riven itself from its provincial beginnings
into widespread acceptance across the country and even on foreign shores.
Everywhere the Punjabis went, their culinary traditions followed and butter
chicken, which has established its dominion over the world of global curry, is
a case in point. The Fish Amritsari is not too far behind in the race where it is
served up in forms as diverse as a Norwegian salmon-based kebab, an Indian
style fish and chips and even a sushi roll in restaurant menus across the world.
Like many other Indian dishes, the Fish Amritsari straddles many Indias where
it graces tables at fine dining restaurants of the metros, erstwhile colonial clubs
of India with a stiff upper lip heritage and nondescript stalls in dark alleys of tier-
3 cities. It is, however, most comfortable in a world populated by weather-beaten
faces, blue-and-white Bata Hawai chappals, rugged unshaven faces, large trucks
with neon signs, camp cots and dusty highways.

This deep fried fish tikka with overwhelming notes of ajwain (carrom seeds),
lemon and chaat masala actually finds a respectable place in the annals of
Indian culinary history despite its humble character. While it may be a poor
descendant of its royal Mughal forbears and an across-the-border version of its
Lahori counterpart, it nonetheless holds its own in any gathering of connoisseurs.
The marinated fish dishes from the Mughal and Nawabi kitchens with their rich
array of exotic spices found an echo in the villages and taluks of undivided
Punjab. Thus both Lahore and Amritsar, hoarding their supplies of fresh sole
and carp fish from the Ravi and Beas rivers, came up with a home-grown rustic
spice rub which they slathered on to the chunky boneless fillets, dipped them
in a flour/chick pea flour and deep fried them twice to their preferred levels of
crispness. This snack quickly caught on and every street food vendor, dhaba and
kebabwallah worth his salt was soon deep frying his way to the bank.

The best Fish Amritsari is usually bright orange, fresh off the griddle and piled on
to a simple thali, with some raw onions, lemon quarters and liberally doused with
chaat masala and preferably a fizzy cola on the side. The secret to a good piece
is that it must be eaten fresh and crisp. Let it grow cold and the fish separates
from its sagging orange wrapper. Serve it on a cold winter night around a raging
bonfire with boisterous company and there will be merriment, songs and perhaps
even an occasional brawl. "Amritsari" and "Lahori" are mere geographical
markers of its origin, the real heart of this everyman favourite lies in street stalls
in crowded and colourful markets full of smoke and aromas that fire the belly and
imagination alike.

(this was published in the New Indian Express, Bangalore 15 Sep 2014)