
Tandoori Masala Fish
Whole sea bream is coated in a spiced yoghurt-cashew marinade and baked until the coating forms a crust. It tastes tangy, gently hot and rich, with a turmeric-lemon edge.
Turmeric rub
3 gRubbed over the fish before the marinade (step 1)Marinade spices
9 gStirred into the yoghurt-cashew marinade (step 4)Everything else
Method
- Rub the turmeric rub — 3 g ground turmeric — with 30.6 g lemon juice and 0.3 g salt over the 1000 g sea bream, working it into the skin. Set aside.
- Pound 9 g garlic and 6 g ginger root to a paste.
- Drain the 50 g cashew nut after soaking for 20 minutes in hot water, then blend with 7 tbsp water until smooth.
- Put 30 g greek yoghurt, 2 g chickpea flour, 13.5 g vegetable oil, the garlic-ginger paste and the cashew paste in a large bowl. Stir in the marinade spices — 2.6 g kashmiri chilli powder, 1.2 g ground white pepper and 5.4 g ground coriander — plus salt to taste, then fold in 2 g chopped coriander leaf.
- Spread the marinade over the fish, inside and out. Leave for 1 hour.
- Heat the oven to 210°C fan (450°F/gas 8). Line a baking tray with foil and set a wire rack on it.
- Lay the fish on the rack and bake for 20–25 minutes, brushing with smoked butter or ghee to taste halfway through.
- Transfer to a platter when the flesh is cooked through and the marinade has set to a crust. Serve warm with grilled lemon to taste.
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Sea bream

Sea bassUse the same weight; reduce cooking by 1–2 minutes.
PomfretUse the same weight; similar firm flesh, and score the skin if cooking whole.
Firm white fish filletUse the same weight; reduce cooking by 2–3 minutes and handle gently.

Ground turmeric

Ground gingerUse 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.
SaffronSteep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Lemon juice

Lime juiceUse equal volume or weight; delivers almost identical sharp acidity with a faintly more aromatic, bitter-edged profile.
Dried mango powderUse 25% of the weight (about 1 g amchoor for 4 g juice); provides clean fruity tartness without thinning the sauce.
White vinegarUse 75% of the volume; gives direct sourness without any citrus floral fragrance.

Smoked butter or ghee

GheeUse the same weight; pure fat, so use as directed. Add a pinch of paprika for colour; no smoke.
ButterUse the same weight; lower smoke point, so keep the heat moderate. Add salt if unsalted.
Vegetable oilUse 90% of the weight; neutral and will not burn, but lacks butter or ghee flavour. Add paprika for colour.

Grilled lemon

LemonUse the same weight of lemon slices and grill in a dry pan until charred; closest match.
Lemon juiceUse juice to taste; it gives acidity but not the smoky grilled aroma.
LimeUse the same weight; more floral acidity, and grill the same way.

Garlic

Garlic pasteUse equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.
Garlic powderUse 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.
ShallotUse 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

Fresh ginger

Ginger pasteUse equal weight. Sauté in hot fat until the raw allium smell disappears; slightly wetter, but provides identical warmth and pungency.
Ground gingerUse 20% to 25% of the weight (1 g for every 4 to 5 g fresh). Stir into the gravy; adds peppery heat and warmth, though it misses the crisp, zesty kick of raw root.

Cashew nut

AlmondUse 100% of the weight. Soak in boiling water and slip off skins before frying or grinding; gives a lighter, slightly less sweet richness to curries.
Poppy seedUse 60% of the weight for gravies. Soak in warm water and grind into a fine paste to thicken royal kormas without adding heavy oiliness.
Shelled peanutUse 100% of the weight. Roast, skin, and grind; creates a thicker, earthier texture typical of Maharashtrian and western Indian curries.

Greek yoghurt

Hung natural yoghurtUse the same weight and whisk smooth; same thick consistency.
Full-fat natural yoghurtUse 1.25 times the weight and strain through muslin for 30 minutes; looser if not strained.
Hung yogurtUse the same weight; virtually identical.

Chickpea flour

Yellow split pea flourUse 100% of the weight. Many commercial gram flours are milled from split peas; performs identically in pakora batters and kadhi.
CornstarchFor crisping batters or binding cutlets: use 50% to 60% of the weight. Produces a very crisp shell but lacks the earthy, roasted nutty flavour of besan.

Vegetable oil

Peanut oilUse 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.
GheeUse 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.
Mustard oilUse 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Kashmiri chilli powder

Dried kashmiri chilliGrind deseeded dried pods to an equal weight of powder; gives identical vivid red colour and gentle warmth.
Red chilli powderUse 25% of the weight mixed with sweet paprika for colour; straight red chilli powder is substantially hotter and will make the dish fiery.
Chilli powderUse one-third of the weight; the sauce will be less intensely red and notably sharper in heat.

Ground white pepper

Ground black pepperUse 80–100% of the weight. Darker and sharper; reduce slightly if you do not want extra heat.
Black peppercornGrind the same weight fresh; same darker, sharper result.

Ground coriander

Coriander seedsDry-roast lightly in a pan and grind to a fine powder; use equal weight (1:1). Offers a noticeably fresher, brighter citrus note.
Ground cuminUse 50% to 75% of the weight. Lacks the floral, citrusy profile of coriander and turns the gravy heavier, earthier, and darker.
Garam masalaUse 50% of the weight and stir in near the end of cooking. Adds warmth and depth since it contains ground coriander, but introduces stronger spices like clove and cinnamon.
Similar dishes

- Same: Bharleli Paplet shares whole sea bream, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli, ground coriander, garlic, ginger, lemon and vegetable oil with this dish.
- Different: Bharleli Paplet stuffs the fish with onion, tomato, tomato purée and raisins and roasts it for crisp skin, while this dish bakes it under a yoghurt-cashew marinade with chickpea flour and smoked butter or ghee and has no onion-tomato stuffing.

- Same: Whole Roasted Sea Bream with Black Pepper, Curry Leaves, Tamarind & Chilli shares sea bream, turmeric, lemon, garlic, ginger, Kashmiri chilli powder and ground coriander with this dish.
- Different: It adds banana leaf, white onion, curry leaves, tamarind paste, coconut oil, black pepper and sugar, and lacks this dish's yoghurt, cashews, chickpea flour, vegetable oil, smoked butter or ghee, white pepper and coriander leaf; it is roasted in a banana-leaf parcel rather than baked with a yoghurt-cashew crust.

- Same: Bangda Masala shares garlic, ginger, Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric, ground coriander, salt and vegetable oil with this dish, and both coat fish in a spiced paste before cooking.
- Different: Bangda Masala uses mackerel with tamarind paste, curry leaves, coarse semolina and rice flour and is fried, while this dish uses sea bream with yoghurt, cashew, chickpea flour and smoked butter or ghee and is baked.

- Same: Tandoori Fish Tikka with Turmeric, Carom Seeds & Chaat Masala shares a yoghurt marinade with garlic, ginger, Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric, chickpea flour and salt, so both dishes are tangy and spiced.
- Different: Tandoori Fish Tikka with Turmeric, Carom Seeds & Chaat Masala uses cod loin and is grilled, with mustard oil and ghee, carom seeds, garam masala and a chaat masala finish, while this dish uses whole sea bream, bakes it, and adds cashew nuts, lemon juice, vegetable oil, ground coriander and ground white pepper.





































