Ingredients :

1kg fish
½ cup masoor – wash and boil
3 medium onions – finely sliced and fried until golden and crisp
3tbsp tomato puree
1 cup yoghurt
4 cups rice and 4tsp salt boiled together
4 green chillies
½ tsp arad
½ tsp cumin seeds
4 elachi
a few cinnamon sticks
a few whole peppercorns
3 medium potatoes – cut and fried
4 boiled eggs
ghee and oil
1 tsp saffron
fresh dhania – finely chopped

Fish masala :

2 tbsp criander
2 tbsp garlic
6 green chillies
2 tbsp crushed cumin
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp arad
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

– Liquidize the masala ingredients

Method :

– Smear the fish slices with the above masala. Marinate for an hour
– Fry the fish in the same oil of the onions until it is just firm.
– Mix together the yoghurt, tomato puree, spices and half the onions. Pour over the fried fish.
– Pour some oil in a pot and 3 tbsp ghee. Sprinkle half the masoor over the base.
– Carefully arrange the fish and excess masala over. Add the rest of the masoor.
– Arrange the fried potatoes to which a sprinkling of salt and arad has been added.
– Next, layer the rice but keep about 1 ½ cups aside.
– Lastly, add the fried onions and pour the saffron water into the rest of the rice.
– Mix well to give the rice a rich golden colour.
– Add this as the last layer.
– Turn up the heat until the pot start sizzling, then lower the heat again.
– Allow steaming for about 30 – 45 minutes until done.
– When serving, decorate with eggs and chopped dhania.