You can use almost any fish steaks here—salmon, kingfish, cod, haddock, swordfish, salmon, trout, pomfret, pompano, or tilefish—depending on the part of the world you live in. Instead of having to look for ajowan seeds (use 1/4 teaspoon, if you can get them), you can use dried thyme, which has the same flavor. When using the blender here, make sure you put the chopped red pepper in first, as that will provide the liquid needed to make a paste. If your blender remains stubborn, add a tablespoon or two of water. You could serve this with Zucchini and Yellow Summer Squash with Cumin, and Bulgar Pilaf with Peas and Tomato.

　　

Ingredients

serves 2¿4

　　1 pound fish steaks (see above)

　　Salt

　　1/2 large red bell pepper (half of a 6-ounce pepper), seeds removed, chopped

　　4 cloves garlic, chopped

　　One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

　　1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

　　1 small onion, chopped

　　1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

　　Vegetable oil for shallow frying

　　Lime or lemon juice

　　

Step 1

Sprinkle the fish with 1/4 teaspoon salt on both sides and set aside, in the refrigerator if necessary.

　　

Step 2

Put the red peppers, garlic, ginger, thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, onions, and cayenne into a blender in that order and make a paste.

　　

Step 3

Put the oil in a frying pan (you should have 1/4 inch of oil) and set on medium-high heat. When hot, put in the fish steaks and fry until light brown on both sides. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate. Remove all but 5 tablespoons of the oil, and put back on medium-high heat. When hot, add the paste from the blender. Stir and fry for about 3 minutes or until the paste seems to dry out. Turn heat down and fry another 2 minutes. Put the fish back in the pan, add 2 tablespoons water, and cook the fish through on very low heat, spooning the sauce over the fish. Squeeze lime juice over the top.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.