Khar means spicy, chilli, this is my home dish, my mother used to make it at home, when there is a dry fish in her cupboard. This dish you can find in the homes of Andhra, who eat dry fish. The name itself says hot, spicy, but because of dry fish, this dish becomes special. This dish has minimum ingredients also. Dry fish will be salty, so little salt is required.
In the market we find variety of dry fishes like anchovies(nathili in tamil), ribbon fish(vaalai meen in tamil), king fish(vangaram in tamil). These fishes are dried in the sun near the beach by fisher men. So it is very necessary to clean the fish with water to remove sand(dust) and excess salt.
You can just fry the fish in oil , shallow or tava fry. no need to add any chilli powder or any masala as we fry for the fresh fish. If you want can just sprinkle chilli powder and marinate it and fry it in tava or a kadai . but I always just fry it as it is.
Ingredients
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Onion (big) sliced – 2
- Green chillies (long size) – 6 to 7
- Dry fish (pieces) – 40 to 50 grams (King fish or Ribbon fish)
- Salt – as per taste
- Garlic cloves – 2 to 3
- Dry coconut or fresh grated coconut – 40 grams or 5 tbsp
Method
- Slice the onions and keep it aside. can use grated coconut or small pieces also in the dry or fresh form.
- I have used thick garlic cloves, bigger size. If having small ones need to use more 6 to 7 cloves.
- Can use any fish, king fish or ribbon fish.
- I have used dry coconut a bigger size.
- first wash the fish , so that you can remove the sand or any excess salt comes out, then soak the fish in water for sometime 20min,then wash it again and keep it aside.
- If you want can wipe it with tissue paper to remove water on it, as while frying fish in oil it will not split on you.
- Take a kadai or pan, put oil,1tbsp and fry the fish on both sides and keep it aside, no need to add salt or any masala, just fry it like that itself.
- In between , can drizzle some oil ,if needed. When cooked well on both sides, can remove and keep it aside in a plate.
- Then take the same kadai or another pan and put oil, let it get it warm, then add onions and fry till it is brown and caramel, take it out and keep it aside.
- Take a pan or tava , roast green chillies , coconut and garlic in the same pan or tava, till it gets that roasted colour , can see in the picture. When roasted, switch it of and keep it aside. cook it on medium flame.
- I have cooked khar with fresh frozen coconut and dry coconut also, both tasted good.
- First grind coconut to coarse powder, then add other ingredients and grind to a coarse powder.
- Now grind green chillies, garlic, salt, coconut, dry fish, all into a coarse powder, dry, not like a paste or chutney.
- Take a plate put fried onions, then put the grounded masala, and mix well.
- Check the khar by tasting it, weather salt is enough or not.
- In villages, they use pestle mortor and they grind the masala in a dry form as a coarse powder , which gives more taste.
- It will be very spicy, can be eaten with roti or paratha. can put ghee on khar and eat it to remove that heat of chillies.
Notes
- If you want you can reduce the chillies,if you donot like spicy food.
- You can use any other dry fish which is salty, which we get in india in markets or near beach or where fish markets are there.
- If you want you can reduce garlic or avoid it.
- If you keep the dry fish pieces while grinding to be coarse and some small bits should be there,so that while eating ,it gives you a good taste.
- If you want can just break the few more fish pieces with your finger like crushed type and put it on the onion mixture at last.
- If using grated coconut, always roast it at last and separately at medium or low flame to avoid coconut to burn.
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